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New Worms Tag Team MSN Messenger and Highlight Vulnerability of Public IM, Says Omnipod; Omnipod Immune from Viruses and Attacks That Are Becoming More Commonplace with Consumer IMNEW YORK --(Business Wire)-- Feb. 3, 2005 -- According to Omnipod, the leading provider of On-Demand, secure instant messaging (IM) for enterprises, a new variant of the Bropia worm has been discovered. The Bropia.F worm propagates across users of the MSN Messenger network by sending itself as a picture of a roast chicken with tan lines to the infected user's entire contact list. The Bropia acts as a carrier and once downloaded to a computer drops a second worm, Agabot.ajc, which has a high potential for causing damage. The Agabot performs a distributed denial-of service attack, similar to the notoriously destructive Slammer, Blaster and Sasser worms. "The Bropia-Agabot worm tag team shows that virus writers are becoming more creative in their goal of wreaking havoc through the soft spots in Microsoft software," said Gideon Stein, CEO of Omnipod. "Third-party offerings such as Omnipod's hosted IM service will always be more secure since they are not targeted as often by hackers in their attacks. Also, the Personal Online Desktop (POD) is specifically architected to prevent these types of vulnerabilities, plus our users communicate via a private network, ensuring that messages are screened for dangerous programs in real-time." Engineered to prevent the security vulnerabilities common in consumer IM platforms, Omnipod's private IM network prevents the security problems of public IM and file sharing offerings by prohibiting the transfer of executable text while combining strict administrative controls with 168-bit encryption and 3DES SSL, protecting POD users from hackers as well as from the common viruses and worms that routinely infect consumer IM systems. About Omnipod Omnipod, Inc. was founded in 1999 to provide a secure, centrally controlled communications platform built on instant messaging technology. Omnipod's Professional Online Desktop (POD) is designed for enterprise use and seamlessly integrates file sharing and transfer capabilities, as well as numerous other secure communications functions into a presence-based messaging infrastructure. The company's platform is presently deployed with a number of organizations and Fortune 500 companies in a cross section of industries. Omnipod's investors include Lexington Ventures, Mapleton Investments and private individuals. Omnipod, Professional Online Desktop and POD are trademarks or registered trademarks of Omnipod, Inc. All other trade names mentioned herein are believed to be the property of their respective owners. |
