Spirent Unveils Enhanced Security Testing Features for Avalanche
New Security Testing Features Enable Enterprises to Protect Against More Than 15 DDoS Attacks and a Variety of E-Mail Viruses
ROCKVILLE, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 12, 2004--Spirent Communications(TM) (NYSE:SPM)(LSE:SPT) today announced enhanced security features for its Avalanche(TM) product line, a comprehensive solution that tests complex applications and networks to ensure that products and services excel in a real-world environment. The new security features are designed to help enterprises reduce risk, increase security and save money by ensuring that their network infrastructures are prepared for - and will not crash - even under the most debilitating security attacks.
"With spending on security infrastructure increasing to protect against a rising tide of vulnerabilities," said Christian A. Christiansen, Program VP, Security Products for IDC, "IT managers would be remiss not to ensure that their purchases perform in a real world environment. Testing products like Avalanche, with its ability to realistically generate a wide-range of DDoS and other attacks, provide enterprises with an assurance that security defenses are actually working."
The new test features for Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks include Evasive UDP, Land Attack, Ping of Death, Tear Drop and Unreachable Host. These features bring even more functionality to the existing product, which has 10 DDoS attacks, including PineSweep, Smurf and SynFlood. The new features also include an extensible API, which can be used to script custom DDoS attacks. This extensible architecture can quickly create tests for new attacks as they are discovered.
Other new security features for the Avalanche include:
-- Support for sending viruses as email attachments - enabling enterprises to verify that their security defenses abilities can distinguish between valid and malicious attachments
-- An integrated, high-performance DDoS traffic generator with real-world multi-protocol traffic - allowing users to proactively validate that their security infrastructure can resist large-scale attacks while allowing valid user traffic through
-- Realistic IP fragmentation - allowing Avalanche to introduce fragmented packets on-demand (in-order and out-of-order) to closely mimic real-world environments and to evaluate the significant performance impact fragmentation has on network infrastructure
-- High-performance Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) capabilities - generating more than 6,000 new sessions per second and up to 90,000 simultaneous sessions, enabling users to test SSL Web Sites and SSL VPNs at industry-leading levels
"IT managers are responsible for protecting their networks against debilitating attacks on their corporate networks," said Alan Newman, director of marketing for Spirent Communications' enterprise business. "By simulating attacks in the safety of the lab setting, IT managers can increase their confidence that their networks will protect their corporation's assets. With the scripting capability, enterprises will be able to easily customize their security testing based on their requirements and security risks."
Spirent's Enterprise business develops network test and management products that address the unique needs of enterprise customers. Its solutions include the award-winning Avalanche Enterprise product line, which enables customers to test their application and network infrastructure. Many leading corporations use Avalanche to ensure that their products and services excel in real-world conditions. Current Avalanche customers include American Greetings, Ask Jeeves, Bank of America, Costco.com, eBay, Forbes.com, IBM, Intuit, Knight-Ridder, MSNBC, National City Bank and World Book Publishing.
The new security test features are available now.
About Avalanche
Avalanche is designed for enterprises that demand absolute realism and control under all conditions. Avalanche challenges any computing infrastructure's ability to stand up to the load and complexity of the real world. Avalanche supports HTTP/1.0, HTTP/1.1, HTTPS, RTSP/RTP (Apple QuickTime(R)), RealSystem(R) streaming, Microsoft(R) Windows Media(R) 8 and 9 Series, SMTP, POP3, DNS, Telnet and FTP. In addition, Avalanche can generate Distributed Denial of Service attack traffic inline with any mix of multi-protocol traffic. Real-world conditions are accurately replicated by simulating network error conditions and realistic user behavior. http://www.spirentcom.com/enterprise
About Spirent Communications
Spirent Communications (www.spirentcom.com) is a global provider of integrated performance analysis and service assurance systems that enable the development and deployment of next-generation networking technology such as Internet telephony, broadband services, 3G wireless, global navigation satellite systems, and network security equipment. Spirent's solutions are used by more than 1,500 customers in 30 countries, including the world's largest equipment manufacturers, service providers, enterprises and governments. Based in Rockville, Maryland, Spirent Communications reported 2003 revenue of $394 million and has 1,800 employees worldwide. The company is the largest business group of Spirent plc, traded on the London and New York Stock Exchanges (LSE: SPT; NYSE: SPM; CUSIP number: 84856M209). www.spirent.com. Spirent Communications' sales to the United States government are made through Spirent Federal Systems. www.spirentfederal.com
Spirent, Spirent Communications and the Spirent logo are trademarks of Spirent plc. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are held by their respective companies. All rights reserved.
This press release may contain forward-looking statements that are based on current expectations or beliefs, as well as assumptions about future events. By their nature, forward-looking statements are inherently predictive, speculative and involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are not a guarantee of future performance and are subject to factors that could cause Spirent's actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these statements. These risks include the risks described from time to time in Spirent's SEC periodic reports and filings. We undertake no obligation to update our forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Contacts
Spirent Communications
Heather Fitzsimmons, 650-947-7400
heather.fitzsimmons@spirentcom.com
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