Akonix Security Center Publishes IM Threat Watch For Q3 2005; Report Finds That Third Quarter IM Attacks Averaged More Than One Per Day.

SAN DIEGO -- Akonix Systems, the premier provider of IM security solutions, today announced that its Security Center team tracked the highest monthly total of new threats ever recorded, with 25 viruses identified in September. In the past, IM-borne viruses were often mutations of other variants, however in September alone, we had seven new viruses, which could be indicative of the increased activity by hackers targeting IM networks. Akonix also found that the number of attacks in Q3 2005 averaged just over one per day.

The Akonix Security Center (www.imsecuritycenter.com) issued a total of 49 security policy updates in Q3, 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 Security Team tracked 97 new threats to corporations targeting IM systems in Q3 2005, an 18% decline from a total of 119 attacks in Q2 2005. The number of updates does not necessarily reflect the number of known attacks because some security updates block multiple attacks and preexisting filters already block some new virus variants.

Among the new viruses identified in September were Mete, Parda, Simbag and Lewor. These appear to represent the next wave of attacks. In the first half of 2005, many of the IM threats were variants of common worms, such as Kelvir and Bropia. While variants of these worms are still being issued, the frequency has decreased as new sets of viruses have begun to target IM networks.

The Q3 report tracked several new findings, including a new phase in the sophistication of the social engineering efforts used by IM virus writers to target unsuspecting IM users. August marked the first month where a virus queried the configuration of the client software to determine the language setting and then sent a message in the language of that client. September also witnessed an "international" virus with the Mete worm, which sent its messages in Spanish. In addition, the number of attacks on peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, such as Kazaa and eDonkey, are continuing to rise with a total of 44 new threats in Q3, a 9% increase from Q2 2005.

"The Akonix Q3 Threat Report findings are a wake up call for organizations, showing that on average more than one IM attack takes place per day," said Francis Costello, chief technology officer at Akonix Systems. "It's critical that businesses secure their network from these potential threats, which are becoming more sophisticated by the day. In order to receive the business benefits offered by real-time communications, enterprises must ensure they are protected and in control of both public and enterprise IM systems, as well as P2P use on their corporate network."

According to Osterman Research, more than 90% of organizations in North America currently have some instant messaging use in their networks, and by the end of 2005, Osterman Research anticipates that about one-third of email users in the workplace will also be using IM.

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 market. It focuses on the emerging security threats posed by IM and P2P applications in the corporate environment. Detailed information about the September and Q3 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.