Secure Computing, an enterprise gateway security company, has unveiled its Cyber Security Initiative, aimed at protecting critical networks, applications, assets and data from both known and unknown attacks and attackers without sacrificing availability.

 

The company’s solutions are used by the world's most demanding customers to virtually eliminate risks from cyber attacks, espionage or sabotage that may cause loss of life, property, economic loss and disruption or create devastating environmental disasters.

 

Timed in conjunction with the fifth annual National Cyber Security Awareness (NCSA) Month in October, Secure Computing's Cyber Security Initiative kicks-off an intensive effort to provide corporations with informative research, tools, technologies, solutions and best practices vital for companies and federal agencies evaluating — or re-evaluating — their approach to critical infrastructure protection.

 

“Even though businesses and government agencies know they need to secure their networks, many don't have the in-house expertise or time it takes to fully secure systems,” said Scott Montgomery, vice president of global technical strategy for Secure Computing, in a statement. “We want to elevate awareness so that they understand how to change behavior to make security a high priority.”

 

Critical infrastructure comprises all computer systems that can be targets of criminal threats, industrial espionage and/or politically motivated sabotage such as the power grid, water supply, railways, nuclear energy plants and more. Attacks on such networks can cause loss of life, threaten public safety, impact national security, or create economic upheaval or environmental disaster. It is estimated that the destruction from a single wave of cyber attacks on U.S. critical infrastructures can exceed $700 billion  — the equivalent of 50 major hurricanes hitting U.S. soil at once.

 

“Our customers are concerned about how the security issues they read about in the media — malware, phishing, pharming, unauthorized access to servers, etc.--can affect their critical control networks,” said Elan Winkler, director of critical infrastructure solutions for Secure Computing. “Cyber security wasn't originally designed into these types of networks. Add to that the new government regulations like NERC CIP, and we end up with a lot of unknowns and uncertainty.”

 

In the industries where security is paramount and network-to-network interconnection is the norm, security is not an option; it is a necessity. With a unique combination of high-speed application layer defenses, reputation scores, geo-location control, and long history of no patches or hacks, Secure Computing can defend critical networks without jeopardizing their core functionality and availability requirements.

 

Additionally, Montgomery recommended that current and prospective customers should start with discovery.

 

“Often, they don't know exactly what they have, so a thorough audit by Secure Computing helps determine what their landscape looks like,” he said. “They also need to be educated about where their security vulnerabilities are, and where they need to look for holes. Once we have done that, we look at how Secure Computing solutions will work with the systems they have.”

 

A major urban utility company servicing over 10 million customers purchased Secure Computing's Secure Firewall (previously known as Sidewinder) 14 years ago to protect its control network. Secure Firewall performs excellently for this highly regulated company; it has never needed to issue a security patch and doesn't worry about bringing down the firewalls for maintenance more than once or twice a year. An IT specialist at the company said, “Just knowing that I have Secure Firewalls in place is what allows me to sleep at night.”

 

Secure Computing has been protecting critical infrastructure networks for more than 14 years in power, government, transportation, water, energy, gas, petroleum, and chemical companies in more than half of the U.S. states and 31 countries worldwide.