A UK-based network security assessment-tool vendor has begun rolling out its new managed IPS service for homes and small business users as first shown at this year’s RSA Conference in San Francisco.
Idappcom says that the service is designed to give small businesses and families access to the same level of cyber-security that large businesses and the public sector routinely deploy to protect their networks from complex attacks, whether they are connected to their own network access point or a public Wi-Fi service.
Simon Wesseldine, CSO at Idappcom said: “While most internet service providers include some form of basic firewall functionality and Web access controls in the routers supplied to their customers, this still leaves them vulnerable to an array of sophisticated attacks that needs a more granular solution to prevent bad traffic reaching the end-point devices or stopping data leakage to a malicious URL.
“Up until now Intrusion Detection and Prevention devices have been widely regarded as essential by network security experts but as too expensive and requiring high level specialist skills to maintain, for the average small business or home user to seriously consider implementing. Our managed service aims to address both of these concerns.”
Idappcom says that its IPS users are provided with a dedicated small format device, pre-loaded with industry standard intrusion detection software, which sits in line between the router and the end-point. The device is connected to the Idappcom SOC over the normal Internet link via a cloud-based VPN and is auto-updated every few hours with the latest security rules and policies based on the specific operating environment under protection and real-time traffic analysis.
The Idappcom SOC is managed by the same staff responsible for maintaining the company’s library of over 12,000 exploit traffic files and policy rule updates that are also used by most global security vendors to validate their own IDS/IPS and NGFW solutions.
The service is being launched initially with three user-type options; the HIPSY, pictured, for families and home-based workers, the GIPSY for travelling employees and those connecting via a public Wifi service and the BIPSY for small business networks. Users can select and sign up to the service they need via Idappcom’s web portal http://www.ipssecurityrules.co.uk/.
Users can select from a range of policy update subscription levels that includes Idappcom’s own exploit library, Proofpoint’s ETPro Malware library and an optimised Phishing URL database for total protection. Set up and configuration is activated via a dedicated user portal designed to take the user through a simple step by step process in just a few minutes.
Once installed and registered the system is the developers say virtually maintenance free from the user perspective with all updates occurring regularly to ensure the device is able to respond to the latest attacks. Users are notified via email if any suspect activity is detected that requires urgent attention backed up by an optional telephone support service for help with remediation if needed.
Idappcom is initially making the service available to companies and individuals from the UK. It is also aiming to develop an International network of managed security service partners to help accelerate wide-scale deployment particularly in North America and the Far East.
Idappcom CEO Ray Bryant said: “The potential market for this type of service is huge and has largely been ignored by the major vendors. With hackers increasingly targeting vulnerable home and small business connections as a back door route into corporate networks we are anticipating significant interest in the service as a means of extending multi-layered security beyond the traditional network edge as well as home owners looking for additional online protection for their families.”
About Idappcom
Idappcom is a privately owned UK security software development company based in Ludlow, Shropshire. Formed in 2004 the company provides penetration testing and SNORT rule writing services for IT security solution vendors. Visit www.idapcom.com.
