Asta Networks Extends Product to Protect Any Network from Code Red and Other DoS Attacks; Vantage System Flow Generator Delivers DoS Protection for Today's Multi-Vendor Networks.

Business/High-Tech Editors

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 1, 2001

Asta Networks, a network reliability company, today announced the availability of Vantage System(R) Flow Generator, a new device that extends the functionality of Vantage System to protect against Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks in any network environment.

Demand for solutions to DoS has escalated with the advent of new attacks such as Pulsing Zombies and, more recently, the Code Red worm. Vantage System, which was made widely available in June, offers enterprises and network service providers a holistic view of the abnormal bandwidth consumed across a network during such attacks, as well as the information necessary to detect, locate and counter them.

"The reach and power of the Code Red worm is being felt around the world even though its plans to bring down whitehouse.gov were thwarted. In the future we don't expect hackers to be so forgiving. If nothing else, the industry is learning that relying on luck is a dangerous way to maintain the stability of the global Internet infrastructure," said Stefan Savage, co-founder and chief scientist at Asta Networks, and a professor at University of California, San Diego. Savage has conducted extensive research with his UCSD colleagues on the prevalence of DoS attacks as well as the spread of the Code Red worm. "Despite best efforts of prevention, Code Red is using the entire Internet as its playground and the question is no longer 'If,' but 'When?' Being able to respond to these DoS attacks when they happen is critical for the Internet's continued long-term viability."

Vantage System helps businesses detect, locate, and counter DoS attacks before they cause costly downtime or degraded service. The product currently analyzes network traffic by using router-based traffic information from Cisco Systems' NetFlow feature, and packet sampling technology from Juniper Networks. Vantage System Flow Generator extends the reach of Vantage System to help protect all networks, including those without native flow generation capability or those that otherwise cannot provide flow data directly from their routers. Flow Generator can obtain flow information from both Gigabit Ethernet and Fast Ethernet networks.

Savage continued, "The force of nearly 400,000 cyber-guns trained on one target is not trivial for any organization to withstand. With the release of Vantage System, and the expanded protection that Flow Generator offers, Asta Networks is arming companies with one of the only viable ways to counteract such devastating attacks."

Flow Generator works with Vantage System Sensors to collect traffic data from key locations in a network. A Vantage System Coordinator then aggregates and analyzes data from the Sensors to construct an overall view of network activity for the network operator or engineer. Several phases of analysis are conducted to provide Network Operations Centers with all the actionable knowledge they need to immediately detect an attack, locate its source, and counter it with the most appropriate measures to ensure continued flow of valid customer traffic.

About Asta Networks

Asta Networks is a network reliability company that was founded in April 2000 by worldwide leaders in the fields of distributed networking, Internet reliability and security. The company develops software and services to optimize the management and flow of network traffic so businesses can confidently depend on the Internet. For more information, please contact Asta Networks at 206/264-2444 or visit http://www.astanetworks.com.

The names of companies mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners. Asta Networks and Vantage System are registered trademarks of Asta Networks.