Enterprise security products that once focused solely on spam are broadening scope to tackle messaging issues, compliance violations, phishing scams, and viruses.
Proofpoint this week will unveil an updated version of its messaging security platform and a series of plug-in modules targeting outbound messaging flows. Sendmail has rolled out Mailstream Content Manager, which combats internal and external e-mail security threats, and CipherTrust last week updated its anti-spam offering with technology designed to block spam at the edge of the network.
Proofpoint's new Protection Server 3.0 adds Email Firewall, tacking on another layer of security to the product's existing MLX. Version 3.0 gains MLX-based Dynamic Reputation analysis, which dynamically assigns a reputation score to each IP address based on observed behaviors. The score determines whether traffic control measures should be taken.
Messaging security is no longer just about spam and now requires a comprehensive approach to fight a range of threats on the mail system, according to Gary Steele, president and CEO of Proofpoint.
"Customers are struggling with spam and viruses but also with outbound e-mail due to regulatory compliance issues," Steele said.
With that in mind, Proofpoint launched the Content Security Suite, composed of a set of plug-in modules to the Protection Server that target digital asset security and regulations such as Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPAA, and Gramm-Leach-Bliley.
The suite enforces acceptable-use policies by analyzing message contents and size. The Proofpoint modules include Content Compliance, for defining and enforcing policies for message content and attachments; Digital Asset Security, for preventing classified information being sent outside the enterprise; Regulatory Compliance, for ensuring outbound messages comply with specific regulations; and Attachment Scanning, for peering into attachments.
One Proofpoint user, rental company U-Haul International, finds its messaging security needs growing beyond spam protection, according to Sam Shoen, Web team director at U-Haul.
Fighting spam was the initial motivation to look at Proofpoint, but other security issues such as e-mail viruses and regulatory compliance are growing in importance, Shoen said.
"This is not necessarily about stopping malicious [behavior]. We may be breaching regulations without even knowing it," Shoen said.
Sendmail's new Mailstream Content Manager defends against spam and viruses while protecting intellectual property and enforcing regulations in outgoing e-mail, according to Sendmail officials. CipherTrust last week introduced Connection Control, a new feature in its IronMail messaging security appliance. Connection Control is designed to identify IP addresses generating large volumes of spam and block connections from those addresses at the edge.
