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Industry innovators 2007: Mi5 Networks Webgate

A major challenge in today's large networks is the build-up of unseen malware, spyware and botnets. The Mi5 Networks Webgate is a tool that helps bring these problems to the surface and remediates them without disruption of network traffic flow. In Mi5's view, the days of threats coming into the network via removable media and email are fast disappearing due to high security coverage with products such as email scanners and endpoint security.

However, the one place that has the most hidden threats has been almost completely untouched: the internet. With hidden malicious code in websites and many other forms of undetectable threats that can be invited into the network with a simple click of the mouse, the web is the new danger zone. Unfortunately, administrators cannot tell users not to access the internet because it has become an integral part of doing business.

So how do you defend the network from these threats? The Webgate from Mi5 Networks is our choice for the answer. This product is more than just a URL filter or gateway anti-virus engine. Webgate puts all traffic across multiple protocols under a microscope without sacrificing speed and reliability. This product will protect against the common bugs, but perhaps more important, it protects against bots as well.

Mi5 botnet technology is a key example of the kind of innovation we were looking for this month.
A bot can come into the network and sit silently for quite a long time completely undetected, calling home periodically until it receives instruction from the command center. The Webgate is designed to monitor for this traffic and expose these beasts.

Webgate also deals with spyware in a very interesting way. Not only will the Webgate block spyware from getting into the organization, but it will find infected computers and disable the spyware from phoning home and leaking sensitive data. If spyware is detected phoning home, the Webgate will inform the user and then deploy an ActiveX program that will clean up the infected machine.
Staying ahead of the bot armies does not mean identifying every possible bot signature. Rather,
it means understanding bot and other malware behavior.

Mi5 Networks has addressed this challenge in an innovative way.

AT A GLANCE
What it is:  Data leakage prevention tool that focused on data leakage performed by malware
Vendor:  Mi5 Networks - www.mi5networks.com
Cost: Webgate hardware ranges from $2,495 to $39,995
Innovation:  Approach to managing malware that attempts to exfiltrate internal data
What we liked: Efficient management of bot infections

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