SonicWALL Protects Customers Against Latest Spear Phishing Attacks Targeting C-Level Executives

SonicWALL Protects Customers Against Latest Spear Phishing Attacks Targeting C-Level Executives
Layered Unified Threat Management Approach Provides Uncompromised Network Protection
SonicWALL, Inc. (NASDAQ: SNWL), a leading secure network infrastructure company, announced today its customers utilizing the Unified Threat Management (UTM) and Email Security products are protected against the most recent spear-phishing attacks targeted at U.S.- based CEOs. The combination of SonicWALL's Email Security (anti-spam, anti-phishing, and email policy) and UTM solutions (gateway anti- virus, gateway intrusion prevention, firewall, anti-spam, and content filtering) provide the most comprehensive multi-layered protection for business today to guard against spear-phishing attacks.
Spear-phishing, a targeted attack at small groups and specific individuals, is one of the fastest growing types of security threats today and can be highly lucrative for the attacker. The CEO spear-phishing attack masquerades as an official e-mail subpoena from the United States (U.S.) District Court in San Diego. In the email, recipients are instructed to click on a link to view the subpoena in its entirety. When users click on the link, spyware software launches capturing passwords and key corporate data such as company financials, merger and acquisition plans and correspondence with other executives and board members.
"Spear-phishing works because the spam is so targeted that recipients feel obligated to act," said Boris Yanobsky, SonicWALL's VP of engineering. "We predict these types of attacks will increase in the coming years. Unfortunately, traditional spam detection is focused on identifying large bulk mailings versus spear-phishing attacks. SonicWALL's UTM approach protect customers at several layers -- if for any reason the phishing gets through at the email security level, our solutions are designed to prevent an actual download."
In an effort to combat the attack, SonicWALL released a Gateway Anti- Virus/Anti-Spyware signature to protect against the malware web downloads. The initial Trojan, first identified on Monday, April 14, 2008, has since morphed into a new variant with a new URL and a new version of the spyware. Given the comprehensive nature of SonicWALL's solution, it has been able to detect and protect against both the older and newer version of the attack.