Alopa Networks Helps Cable Providers Head Off Blaster Worm, Sobig and Other Not-Yet-Detected Computer Viruses.

Business Editors

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 16, 2003

While broadband cable providers clean up from the Sobig and Blaster viruses and struggle to patch recently-announced security holes against future ones, Alopa Networks, a recognized leader in OSS software, is providing customers with a simple, low-cost solution that quickly and easily contains attacks, preventing service interruptions.

With Sobig-F threatening to return and Microsoft announcing new security holes in its Windows operating system, some analysts worry that the next variant of the two worms could hit soon, causing even more damage than the last. Businesses worldwide spent an estimated $29.7 billion in August as a result of the two worms, making it the worst month in digital history for virus attacks.

That's where the Alopa MetaServ advanced provisioning and IP management software solution is giving customers an advantage.

Alopa, a leader in operational broadband support systems, provided its broadband service providers (BSPs) with a simple series of steps that quickly quarantined the Blaster worm. The six-step procedure, performed at BSP headquarters through a Web-based interface, remotely and automatically updated all subscribers' modem configuration files, blocking the ports that the virus used to enter and exit PCs.

Using MetaServ, Alopa customers instantaneously installed a filter on all subscribers' modem configuration files that blocked port 4444, preventing the virus from getting out of infected computers, and ports 135 through 139, stopping them from entering those that were still unaffected. Then, with the click of a mouse, the BSPs automatically rebooted all modems to make the filters take effect.

That made for a faster and easier fix than many other MSOs had, said Michael Jury, Vice President of Internet Technology for Wide Open West, whose company took advantage of the feature. "Once we got the new bin file created, it was easy to just push it out to the customers. If we'd had a homegrown system like a lot of MSOs have, it probably wouldn't have happened as easily," he said.

Without the filters, subscribers' PCs would have inundated the service providers' cable modem termination systems (CMTSs) with requests for a series of random IP addresses. That would have tied up their networks, preventing customers from accessing browsers or sending and receiving email.

The quick and decisive action on the part of Alopa and its customers prevented the virus from spreading and kept service up for subscribers, preventing the havoc wreaked at many other companies.

"It certainly saved us a lot of money and a lot of time, being able to quickly deploy those updates and push them down to our subscribers," said Andre Foster, vice president of information technology at Cable Bahamas in Nassau, Bahamas, another of the companies to use the configuration file upgrade procedure against the Blaster worm. "That was a really nice feature we were able to take advantage of in a time of need."

Alopa CEO Tom Engdahl predicted this will not be the last time customers call upon Alopa technology to fight an outbreak. "We believe this is not the last virus our customers will see. The success of this one will prompt others to do the same in the future. If so, Alopa will stand guard and quickly react, providing specific solutions and keeping networks running at 100 percent capacity."

About Alopa Networks

Alopa Networks, Inc. is a recognized pioneer and leader in the design, development and deployment of infrastructure software solutions for broadband service providers (BSPs), for the activation and management of IP services. The Company's award-winning Alopa MetaServ(TM) platform empowers BSPs to deliver on the promise of the Internet while lowering their operating and capital expenses. Our IP Infrastructure solutions help BSPs accelerate time-to-market for new services, while increasing subscriber acquisition. Through participation at CableLabs(R), tCOMLabs and other standards organizations, Alopa is leading the way in defining solutions for advanced services based on initiatives such as DOCSIS(TM), PacketCable(TM), CableHome(TM), OpenCable(TM) and Go2Broadband(TM). Established in 1999, Alopa Networks is based in Sunnyvale, California, with research and development offices in Bangalore, India and field and sales offices worldwide. For more information, contact Alopa Networks at 408-331-1750 or visit www.alopa.com/.

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