New Symantec Web Gateway 5.0 Stops Malware In Its Tracks

Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC) today announced the release of Symantec Web Gateway 5.0, a web security solution that protects organisations against all types of web-borne malware. Web-based attacks are a primary vector for malicious activity and a leading source of malware infections in the enterprise. With an integrated ability to act as an enforcement point for Symantec Data Loss Prevention, Symantec Web Gateway customers also have the ability to monitor and protect sensitive information being communicated across the internet. In addition, customers have the flexibility to deploy the solution as either a virtual appliance or on physical hardware.

According to Symantec’s Internet Security Threat Report, the average daily volume of web-based attacks observed in 2010 was 93 percent higher than in 2009. Cybercriminals produce millions of new malware strains in a matter of hours, highlighting the need for real-time protection. Businesses need security solutions that accurately detect malware without compromising sensitive company intellectual property, or adding IT complexity.

Symantec Web Gateway provides comprehensive web protection with more than URL filtering. The solution secures and manages web traffic by blocking malware threats with real-time scanning, preventing confidential data loss over web protocols and blocking inappropriate content. Symantec Web Gateway ensures that organisations maintain critical up-time and employee productivity which can both suffer when organisations come under attack.

Better Protection

Symantec Web Gateway is powered by Insight, Symantec’s award-winning community and cloud-based reputation technology, to detect and block new threats earlier and more accurately than any other web gateway product. Symantec Web Gateway delivers innovative security that will ensure an organisation’s information and employees stay safe on the web. Backed by the world’s largest malware research organisation, the Symantec Global Intelligence Network, Symantec Web Gateway is powered by the collective wisdom of more than 175 million systems which helps to identify new threats before they wreak havoc on unsuspecting victims. Based on advanced data-mining techniques, Symantec maintains a real-time dynamic security rating for more than 2.5 billion files, with 31 million new files added every week. These ratings allow Web Gateway and other Symantec security solutions to determine the riskiness of files and to rapidly identify new and existing threats. Insight enhances protection and can’t be evaded or coded around by self-mutating malware. The result is smarter scans and unmatched security.

Greater Control

Symantec Web Gateway, with its integrated ability to act as an enforcement point for Symantec Data Loss Prevention, gives customers the ability to monitor and protect sensitive information being communicated across the internet. As more of today’s websites use SSL encryption, Symantec Web Gateway’s ability to quickly decrypt SSL will allow for full visibility into modern social networking and web-based email communication. Combining the unprecedented malware detecting intelligence of Symantec Web Gateway with Symantec’s market leading data loss prevention solution allows customers to deploy a robust web security solution and implement a cohesive data loss prevention strategy from a single vendor.

Easy Management

Every IT environment is unique, and company preferences and requirements for deploying gateway security technology can vary greatly. Symantec Web Gateway adjusts to meet different needs by providing flexible deployment options. In addition to deployment of Symantec Web Gateway on a physical hardware appliance, customers now have the option to deploy Web Gateway as a virtual appliance on VMware ESX/ESXi 4.x servers. Together with Symantec’s highly-successful Symantec Messaging Gateway virtual offering – a featured VMware partner – Symantec gives organisations the ability to secure their web and messaging infrastructure without requiring additional hardware.

Availability

Symantec Web Gateway 5.0 is available now as a stand-alone solution or as part of Symantec Protection Suite Enterprise Edition. Existing Symantec Web Gateway and Protection Suite Enterprise Edition customers with a valid subscription are entitled to perform a simple upgrade to the new version at no additional cost.

Symantec Security Framework

Symantec Web Gateway is part of the Symantec Security Framework, a portfolio of security products and services that enable organisations to counter emerging threats, support new computing models and simplify security management. Symantec’s portfolio of security products and services allow organisations to pursue innovations – such as mobile, cloud and virtual computing models. By providing relevant, actionable security intelligence and simultaneously simplifying security management, businesses can increase both the efficiency and effectiveness of their security posture.

Quotes

“Symantec Web Gateway provides so much more than just URL filtering. By blocking malware from entering our environment, we better protect our network and reduce downtime due to attacks coming in through the web. In our beta testing, we are seeing the solution block dozens of threats per day.”
– Mark Feeney, principal IT systems engineer, AMETEK

“Our customers told us they wanted to deploy Symantec Web Gateway as a virtual appliance, and now they can. With this comprehensive approach to web protection we keep the bad files out and the important files in.”
– Blake McConnell, Senior Director, Product Management, Symantec