Trend Micro Announces Network Anti-Spam Services

(2005-07-20)

Trend Micro, Inc. (TSE: 4704, Nasdaq: TMIC), a leader in antivirus and content security, today announced Trend Micro Network Reputation Services, a portfolio of network-based anti-spam services that complement the company's existing anti-spam offerings. The services represent the first offering resulting from the company's acquisition last month of Kelkea, Inc., an IP filtering and reputation services provider.

Trend Micro Network Reputation Services respond directly to the continuing growth and difficulties of tackling spam. Although its abundance is nothing new to businesses -- Gartner reported that approximately 90 percent of enterprise organizations' inbound email is considered spam (Source: The Evolving Secure Email Boundary, 2005) -- the adoption of spam-like techniques in carrying out malicious zombie and botnet attacks is creating a pressing need for advanced network-level protection.

Trend Micro Network Reputation Services provide that solution. According to Trend Micro, the services stop between 40 to 80 percent of connections from known offending IP addresses from sending suspicious email into a network. This service is enabled by the Trend Micro Threat Prevention Network, which monitors the Internet and rates the "reputation" of IP addresses based on whether or not they're sending spam. This information is stored in an extensive reputation database that Trend Micro believes to be the largest of its kind in the industry. By applying proactive protection at the network level, customers can increase productivity and support a continuous flow of business information while managing costly demands on bandwidth and administrative time.

"Once again, Trend Micro has executed quickly, converting the promise of an acquisition into flexible market-ready services that address a growing customer pain," said Eva Chen, CEO of Trend Micro. "Trend Micro Network Reputation Services provide enhanced protection against existing and emerging threats. By stopping the bulk of spam at the IP address, our services protect customers from the rising threat of zombie attacks and botnets, both of which utilize spam-like techniques. These new services will ultimately help customers optimize bandwidth and other resources for business-critical operations."

The services complement Trend Micro's existing Spam Prevention Solution (SPS) as well as other anti-spam content filtering systems. Blocking spam at its source offloads the amount of email that traditional messaging security solutions must filter and therefore can reduce the potential for threats to infiltrate the network.

Trend Micro Network Reputation Services consist of the following offerings:

- Trend Micro RBL+ Service: This service involves checking lists of suspect IP addresses from four databases -- an open-relay list, open proxy list, a real-time black-hole list, and a dial-up user list.

- Trend Micro Network Anti-Spam Service (NAS): This advanced service consists of a dynamic list that queries a database focused on dynamic behavioral monitoring of suspect zombie PCs.

In addition to its anti-spam capabilities, Trend Micro plans to expand its reputation services to defend against phishing, pharming, and other network-related threats.

About Trend Micro, Inc.
Trend Micro, Inc. is a leader in network antivirus and Internet content security software and services. The Tokyo-based corporation has business units worldwide. Trend Micro products are sold through corporate and value-added resellers and managed service providers. For additional information and evaluation copies of all Trend Micro products, visit our Web site, www.trendmicro.com