IMlogic Threat Center Reports Record Number of IM Threat Mutations Risk Undermining Existing Content Security Protections; Over 88 Percent of IM Worms Tracked by the IMlogic Threat Center Have Mutated at Least Once in the Last 11 Months.

WALTHAM, Mass. -- The IMlogic Threat Center, the industry's first global consortium to provide threat detection, analysis and protection for instant messaging (IM), today reported a record number of IM threat mutations which risk undermining existing content security protections. The speed of worm mutations poses the largest threat to corporate and consumer IM use due to the difficulty in consistently maintaining up-to-date virus protection on local and mobile systems.

As a leading indicator for the number of mutations to expect, the Kelvir worm has mutated 123 times during the last 11 months. Most disturbing, with the latest mutation trend, is the breadth of threats which have mutated; more than 88 percent of all IM worms tracked by the IMlogic Threat Center have demonstrated mutations. In addition, traditional email worms have begun spreading through IM. For example the email Rbot worm which has mutated over 600 times since first being discovered in email, now has over 13 mutations using IM for distribution. The combination of IM threats mutating to avoid existing virus protection, the increasing sophistication of IM viruses and the mutations of threats across distribution modes has created IM threats that are more capable of installing malware on the local machine, disabling existing desktop security software and antivirus systems, and capturing sensitive end-user information.

The IMlogic Threat Center released the following statistics highlighting the increasing threat level posed by rapidly mutating IM worms:

--88 percent of all worms tracked by the IMlogic Threat Center have demonstrated mutations

--Kelvir is leading with 41 percent of mutations, followed by Bropia with 10 percent and Opanki with eight percent in the category of worms that are delivered only by IM

--The number of blended threats using the public IM networks for distribution is increasing, with over 26 new IM-based mutations appearing in the top three traditionally email distributed worm groups of Rbot, Sdbot, and Mytob.In 2005, 62 percent of mutating IM threats targeted the MSN network via Windows Messenger or MSN Messenger, 25 percent targeted AOL, and eight percent targeted the Yahoo! instant messaging network;

--During the month of October, more than 70 percent of worms identified delivered malware capable of disabling existing desktop security software and undermined traditional anti-virus detection and protection capabilities.

Protecting Against the Rapid Mutations of IM Viruses and Worms

These metrics highlight the need for enterprises to adopt proactive and predictive security technologies for IM. Traditional desktop anti-virus software and IM security products rely on the availability of known virus signatures for detection and control, and are not sufficient to protect enterprises against the rapid mutation and proliferation of the latest IM threats. The exponential growth of IM threats which leverage the global reach and availability of the real time IM networks, coupled with the ability for IM malware to disable industry standard desktop anti-virus products, makes the need for best-of-breed predictive IM threat protection even more critical.

The IMlogic Threat Center and the IMlogic Real-Time Threat Protection System (RTTPS) provide organizations with the industry's first and most advanced predictive threat protection against both identified and unidentified, zero-day attacks over IM. With strategic partnerships with Internet security leaders Symantec, Sybari, Authentium, McAfee, and Postini and global instant messaging leaders America Online, Microsoft and Yahoo!, the IMlogic Threat Center is the leading security resource for rapid response and guidance for protection against newly detected IM threats.

"The rapid mutation of real-time security attacks over IM networks poses a unique challenge for enterprises," said IMlogic Chief Technology Officer Jon Sakoda. "Reactive measures are increasingly inadequate at protecting organizations from these mutating threats. A more proactive and predictive approach for securing IM and real-time applications is now required for comprehensive security."

To find the most current and up-to-date information regarding IM threats visit the IMlogic Threat Center Web site at: http://www.imlogic.com/im_threat_center/index.asp.

About IMlogic, Inc.

IMlogic Inc. is the market leader in instant messaging management and security software. Companies across the financial services, energy, healthcare, government, media, telecommunications, technology, and manufacturing industries, including Fortune 100 companies, depend on the award winning IMlogic IM Manager(TM) to manage, control and secure corporate IM usage, while satisfying messaging compliance requirements. For more information on IMlogic call 877-IMlogic or visit www.imlogic.com.