Akonix Security Center Publishes IM/P2P Threat Watch for October 2005; Monthly Report Highlights Increase in P2P Security Attacks From September to October.

SAN DIEGO -- Akonix Systems, the premier provider of IM security solutions, today announced that its Security Center team tracked 22 new attacks in October on P2P networks, such as Kazaa and eDonkey, a 19% increase over last month. Akonix found a slight decrease in IM attacks, with 19 threats spreading over public IM networks in October. The Akonix Security Center (www.imsecuritycenter.com) issued 14 security policy updates, using the only dynamic IM malware, SPIM and protocol update system to automatically push updates to customers and block worms and viruses at the network perimeter in real-time.

The October report tracked several new IM viruses, in addition to multiple variants of existing attacks. Among the new viruses were Anixma, MSNOpt and Sdbot. Sdbot is of interest because October marked the first time it appeared over IM, typically it is seen only on IRC. In addition, one major public IM network had IM attacks increase by more than three times what it experienced in previous months this year, making it the network of choice for IM attacks for the month of October.

"October marks the first month that P2P attacks increased while IM viruses decreased, revealing a new trend in hackers' attack methods," said Don Montgomery, VP of marketing at Akonix Systems. "Companies who have not deployed a real-time communication security solution, need to take a serious look at the type of activity taking place within their organization -- before it is too late. It is just a matter of time before we see an IM or P2P attack that will bring down entire networks."

The Akonix Security Center is a collaborative effort between Akonix's internal security group, enterprise customer security teams and industry leading partners in IM infrastructure and security. It focuses on the emerging security threats posed by IM and P2P applications in the corporate environment. Detailed information about the October 2005 IM threats can be found at www.imsecuritycenter.com.

For more information on how Akonix solutions ensure networks are protected against the security risks of unmanaged IM and P2P use, please visit www.akonix.com, call 619-615-9415 or email [e-mail].

About Akonix

Akonix is the instant messaging (IM) security and management pioneer, enabling Global 1000 companies to deploy productive, enterprise-wide IM that is secure, compliant and managed.

Nearly one million global users across hundreds of organizations in the Financial Services, Telecommunications, Energy, Technology, Healthcare and Entertainment industries use Akonix solutions. Leveraging more than 20 patents, Akonix's award-winning products provide the industry's only automatically-updated protection to block real-time viruses for both enterprise and public IM systems. Akonix has certified partnerships with all leading IM and presence providers including America Online(R), Microsoft, Yahoo!, Reuters, IBM, Parlano and Bloomberg.

An IM industry first, the Akonix Security Center (www.imsecuritycenter.com) provides real-time information about worms, viruses and other vulnerabilities that target IM and P2P networks. The company issues monthly and quarterly IM threat watch reports to track key trends and vulnerabilities.

For further information on the company, please visit www.akonix.com.