August 30, 2004 -- (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- Web hosting and Internet service providers are constantly introducing new value-added services on top of their core offerings in an effort to distinguish themselves from their competitors. For the most part, these value-added services have focused on optimizing the process of building, publishing and marketing Web sites.
Something that service providers are increasingly being forced to deal with is the threat to their customer's security posed by the scourge of viruses and malicious attacks that are rapidly spreading across the Internet. With Monday's launch of its CallerIP tool, California-based performance management software provider Visualware (visualware.com) delivers a solution that service providers can use to help their customers in this battle.
CallerIP is a security tool that allows Internet users to monitor connections to their computer, identifying where they originate. It works in a manner similar to telephoe caller ID, but instead of showing the number that is calling in, it reveals detailed information about the identity of those who are connecting to an Internet user's computer. This information is then used to identify suspicious and potentially malicious connections.
"CallerIP is unique in its similarity to the Caller ID phone service that we depend on to recognize telephone intruders - it enables an Internet user to easily see where a connection originates and thus identify a suspicious connection before damage is done," Julian Palmer, chief marketing officer for Visualware, said in a release.
All the connections to a user's system are displayed in real time through a simple graphical table with separate columns detailing the remote and local IP addresses, the remote and local ports being accessed and process ID. CallerID also provides WHOIS lookups and graphically displays a connection's geographic location. A connection's country of origin is particularly important information, VisualWare says, because connections coming from remote countries are more likely to be from someone who is trying to steal information from a system.
CallerIP is designed to automatically alert the user to any suspicious or high-risk connections (such as foreign connections), giving them the opportunity to take the necessary precautions. And the alerting function is completely customizable, allowing users to create their own set of rules defining suspicious connections for notification. Alerts come in the form of email, pop-up window, or color-coded reports.
An important capability of CallerID is its disclosure of the contact and abuse reporting information for a specific network provider. By clicking on the IP address in the table, users can see who the network service provider is for a specific IP address and get its contact and abuse reporting information. "It simplifies the abuse reporting process," by allowing users to report abuse directly to the network service provider rather than the Web host, says Julie Lancaster, director of marketing for VisualWare.
Maybe the most important feature of CallerIP, says Lancaster, is its ability to monitor the open ports that are required to send and receive data via the Internet. This is crucial because malicious backdoor programs can use these open ports to gain access to a system and steal sensitive and confidential information.
The main threat from these backdoors is that they are not detected by firewalls. CallerIP, says Lancaster, is most useful in conjunction with personal firewall and other anti-virus software to provide an additional level of security.
CallerIP's launch comes during a record year for viruses. The MyDoom virus, the most high-profile of these, used a backdoor program to gain access to systems through open ports, using the infected machines as launching pads to further spread the virus. With the increasing number of viruses using similar programs, more and more service providers are bundling security software with their services, says Lancaster. And it is this need that CallerIP is designed to meet.
CallerIP, available for the Windows 2000, 2003 and XP platforms, is targeted at Internet users and small to medium-sized business and is also being marketed for Internet service and Web hosting providers, says Lancaster.
A single user license is priced at $49.95. Free 15-day evaluations can be downloaded from the company's Web site.
