Webroot, HP Partner On Mobile Security Platform

Cloud-based, real-time Internet threat detection specialist Webroot has announced that its BrightCloud IP Reputation Service will be offered as part of the HP Enterprise Security Products portfolio to enhance visibility into threats introduced to customer networks by corporate and employee-owned mobile devices.

The BrightCloud IP Reputation Service is a real-time threat intelligence service that helps enterprise organisations identify malicious IPs in their network traffic.

Webroot has enhanced the BrightCloud IP Reputation Service to leverage Webroot’s Mobile App Reputation database of more than 11 million mobile applications, which allows the service to detect communication channels that malicious apps use to control or extract sensitive personal or business data.

Extra protection

“Cyber-attacks are becoming increasingly more sophisticated, and one key aspect of that is a threat’s ability to obfuscate itself to bypass detection from traditional security measures,” Darren Niller, senior director of worldwide alliance and channel marketing at Webroot, told eWEEK. “Most businesses don’t have resources in house to handle these sophisticated threats.”

Niller explained that predictive threat intelligence takes a “guilt by association” approach by making connections between URLs, IP addresses, files and mobile apps to better protect businesses against even previously unknown threats.

He said by leveraging the connections made between malicious IPs and mobile apps, HP customers can fulfill the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) wishes of their users while keeping their users and network safe, all without taxing internal resources beyond their limits.

Under the terms of the partnership, HP users can utilise this feature to identify malicious IP traffic associated with mobile applications, and the service will be available to HP customers at the end of the calendar year.

Dynamic

BrightCloud Security Services, including IP Reputation, are offered through technology partners (such as HP) who integrate the service with their own security solutions, and the end price is dependent on the Webroot partner and their specific solutions.

“We worked closely with HP’s security group to address specific customer requirements around detecting mobile threats, which resulted in a solution that enhanced both HP and Webroot’s overall threat intelligence capabilities,” Niller said. “The partnership will also enhance HP’s already robust service, which features a combination of reputation security feeds and malware filters to allow customers to protect their sensitive data and optimize network performance.”

The BrightCloud IP Reputation Service helps network and security vendors augment their customers’ defenses by adding a dynamic IP reputation service.

Through a continuously updated feed of more than 12 million malicious IP addresses, IT security administrators can identify threats and protect their networks.

The service is designed to reduce the time required to identify new and existing IP threats, and administrators can gain better visibility into various types of threats, allowing them to make better-informed threat decisions.

“The mobile threat landscape has grown and evolved in the last year and will not slow down anytime soon. The majority of the malware currently comes from third party markets or file sharing sites,” Niller said. “There have been some instances of malware making its way into the Google Play store and we can anticipate this occurring again but with less frequency as Google makes progress in security. With the BYOD trend on the rise, mobile devices are becoming the security perimeter for the business and personal network.”

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Originally published on eWeek.