Compromised
SAN DIEGO, Aug. 8 - Websense, Inc. (Nasdaq: WBSN), the world's leading provider of employee internet management solutions, today announced that the Websense(R) BrandWatcher(TM) service protected EDS Credit Union from being exploited in a recent attempted phishing attack. EDS Credit Union is based in Plano, Texas, and offers a full range of financial services for more than 41,000 members worldwide.
Utilizing the Websense Web Security Suite(TM) for protection from advanced internet threats, EDS Credit Union was protected from phishing exploits with a subscription to BrandWatcher, which is included as a part of the Web Security Suite. BrandWatcher alerts Websense customers if their organization's website or brand has been targeted in a phishing or malicious keylogging code attack. When Websense Security Labs(TM) identifies that a customer's website or brand has been targeted, attack details are sent to the customer.
Like many financial institutions, EDS Credit Union depends on the internet as a self-service delivery channel for their customers' online banking needs. On June 21, 2005, EDS Credit Union's brand name was utilized in a phishing attack which requested that the recipients visit a fraudulent website, which was designed to resemble EDS Credit Union's authentic site. Once the user visited the site, the phishers attempted to steal their confidential information such as passwords and social security numbers. Less than 90 minutes after one of EDS Credit Union's customers received a phishing email, EDS Credit Union was alerted by Websense that their brand was being misused in a phishing scam. Websense then gave the company all of the security intelligence necessary to shut down the phishing website before any of EDS Credit Union's customers had "fallen for the phish."
"You can't have success in the financial industry without the trust of your customers. When customers see our brand name, they associate it with our values and the performance they've received. Phishing scams can ruin all of that," said Todd Runyon, network administrator and security officer, EDS Credit Union. "Websense provided us with the critical and proactive support we needed to effectively protect our organization's reputation from being compromised and defend our customers from the loss of confidential information."
In addition to BrandWatcher, the Web Security Suite includes SiteWatcher(TM), a value-added service provided through Websense Security Labs that alerts customers when their company's website has been identified as being infected with mobile malicious code (MMC). This service allows customers to take immediate measures to prevent the spread of MMC to customers, prospects, and partners visiting their website.
"Websense Security Labs mines more than 50 million websites per day, searching for sites infected with mobile malicious code such as phishing sites," said Dan Hubbard, senior director of security and technology research, Websense, Inc. "Phishers frequently take advantage of financial institutions to steal customers' confidential information. To help organizations safeguard their brand against phishing attacks, Websense's BrandWatcher service provides a proactive layer of security intelligence."
The Web Security Suite strengthens customers' security infrastructures to protect against security breaches such as phishing attacks and malicious code outbreaks. Adding a critical layer of defense to work in conjunction with traditional network security including antivirus and firewalls, the Web Security Suite protects employees with a comprehensive security solution at the internet gateway and network.
For a free 30-day evaluation of Websense software or for more information on protecting your organization from a wide range of threats including phishing, spyware, virus outbreaks and internal hacking exploits, please visit http://www.websense.com. In addition, Websense Security Labs offers free email security updates as new internet threats are discovered and is available at http://www.websensesecuritylabs.com.
About Websense, Inc.
Websense, Inc. (Nasdaq: WBSN), the world's leading provider of employee internet management solutions, enables organizations to optimize employee use of computing resources and mitigate new threats related to internet use including instant messaging, peer-to-peer, and spyware. By providing usage policy enforcement at the internet gateway, on the network and at the desktop, Websense products enhance productivity and security, optimize the use of IT resources and mitigate legal liability for our customers. For more information, visit http://www.websense.com.
(C) 2005, Websense, Inc. All rights reserved. Websense and Websense Enterprise are registered trademarks of Websense, Inc. in the United States and certain international markets. Websense has numerous other unregistered trademarks in the United States and internationally. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Jen Culter
Websense, Inc.
858 320 9511
jculter@websense.com
