Asta Networks Deploys Technology in Internet2 Network to Protect Nationwide Backbone From Denial of Service Attacks; Company Launches Trial of First Distributed DoS Solution.

Business/High Tech Editors

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 20, 2000

Asta Networks, a company focused on Internet reliability, today announced a partnership with Internet2(R) to deploy its distributed technology for protecting networks from Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks.

DoS attacks, like those that crippled eBay and Yahoo! in February, paralyze network and Web site operations by flooding them with useless traffic. Current security products offer little defense against such attacks and any response is slow and painstaking at best, sometimes leaving Web sites offline for hours at a time. This is the first time a major Internet backbone has implemented a distributed technology designed specifically to protect against DoS attacks.

Asta Networks has completed the first phase of its deployment in the Internet2 Abilene backbone and is now collecting and analyzing valuable data on network traffic, router behavior and new DoS attack tools. As part of a testbed for tomorrow's Internet, Abilene connects more than 170 leading universities across the nation. When fully deployed, the Asta Networks solution will offer the Internet2 community a line of defense against DoS attacks, improving the reliability of its network for all Internet2 users.

"Internet2 is focused on developing and deploying the capabilities needed to ensure reliably high-performance networking," said Steve Corbato, director of backbone infrastructure at Internet2. "We are pleased to be working with Asta Networks to test and develop viable, distributed methods to respond to DoS attacks where they enter the network, before they can do damage. Understanding more about DoS attacks will ultimately help us eliminate a significant threat to tomorrow's Internet."

With the attack tools that are readily available online, any teenager can effectively paralyze a network. In a typical DoS attack, hackers overtake multiple computers and launch a coordinated assault against a single victim's Web site. The flood of traffic chokes network routers nearest the victim's site, disrupting the flow of legitimate traffic within the network and rendering ineffective edge-based defenses such as firewalls. In contrast, Asta Networks uses a distributed solution to detect and counter DoS attacks before they inflict damage on the victim's Web site or the network.

"Asta Networks was founded to make the Internet work better by focusing on keeping good traffic flowing to and from Web sites, despite problems like DoS attacks," said David Wetherall, co-founder and CTO of Asta Networks. "While researching Internet reliability issues at the University of Washington, we were struck by the complete lack of workable solutions despite the market need for them. Internet2 has given us the opportunity to show the value of our network-based DoS technology in the leading testbed for tomorrow's Internet. We are confident that our approach will lead to increased trust in the Internet for both businesses and consumers."

About Asta Networks

Asta Networks is a Seattle-based company creating network infrastructure solutions that improve the reliability of the Internet while retaining compatibility with the (more) existing network infrastructure. The company's initial focus is solving the intensifying problem of DoS attacks. By reducing the impact of DoS attacks and other network problems, Asta Networks will enable organizations to confidently depend on the Internet for their critical communications and business transactions. For more information, visit www.astanetworks.com.

About Internet2(R)

Led by more than 180 U.S. universities working with industry and government, Internet2 is developing and deploying advanced network applications and technologies for research and higher education, accelerating the creation of tomorrow's Internet. Internet2 recreates the partnership of academia, industry and government that helped foster today's Internet in its infancy. For more information about Internet2, see www.internet2.edu/.

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.