COUNTERPANE REPORTS RECENT SNMP VULNERABILITY NOT YET ENCOUNTERED IN THE WILD

Counterpane Security Alerts on the SNMP Vulnerabilities

CUPERTINO, California - February 12, 2002 - Counterpane Internet Security, Inc. today acknowledged the threat posed by the recent SNMP vulnerability, but confirmed that it has not yet been encountered in the wild.

This vulnerability was announced today by CERT, and affects hundreds of Internet devices, including Cisco routers. Despite the widespread risk of this vulnerability to the Internet, there is no indication that hackers are taking advantage of it.

"The good news so far is that there is no evidence of anyone exploiting this attack to gain control of Cisco routers or any other SNMP devices," said Don DeBolt, Director of Operations and Manager of Counterpane's DC Secure Operations Center.

Counterpane's Managed Security Monitoring service watches internal network devices along with firewalls and Intrusion Detection Systems, so was able to detect this attack even before it was made public today.

"All of Counterpane customers know that it is vital to monitor more than firewalls and IDSs," said Bruce Schneier, Counterpane's CTO. "We watch SNMP devices directly, so customers don't have to wait until their product companies update filters for them to be protected."

"We'll continue to monitor its customers' networks for any sign of this attack, as software companies prepare to distribute security patches," said Schneier. "Waiting for vendor patches is never enough; you need to vigilantly monitor your network."

"An exploitation tool was available on a public website for a short time, so we have to assume that we will start seeing attacks based on this vulnerability," said Tina Bird, Counterpane's Director of Network Intelligence. "But so far it's been quiet."

About Counterpane
Counterpane Internet Security, Inc. is the innovator and acknowledged leader in providing Managed Security Monitoring (MSM) services. MSM combines people and technology to safeguard businesses. Working from a network of technically sophisticated Secure Operations Centers (SOCs) and using progressive analysis tools, Counterpane has built the most advanced analysis, correlation, detection, and diagnosis technology, comprising a Sentry monitoring probe on the customer's network and the Socrates knowledge base inside the SOCs. Using this technology, Counterpane's expert Security Analysts are able to detect security incidents, both external intrusions and insider attacks, in real time, and tailor immediate, effective responses for its customers. The company is funded by Accel Partners, Amerindo Investment Advisors, Inc., Bessemer Venture Partners, Dell, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Equity Fund. Headquarters are located at 1090 La Avenida, Mountain View, California, USA. Phone: 650-404-2400, Fax: 650-903-0461, Website: www.counterpane.com.

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