RSA 2009: Symantec and MessageLabs Talk About the State of Security

At an event where managed security services provider MessageLabs (now part of Symantec) showcased Internet threats in artform, I had a chance to talk to Brian Hernacki, an Architect at Symantec Research Labs and Mark Sunner, the Chief Security Principal at MessageLabs. In addition to seeing malware and virus code realized visually, I gained some insights on the present and emerging threats on the Internet.

Hernacki asserted that since the acquisition of MessageLabs in November, Symantec has been able to see and address a wider range of threats that are on the Internet. Although he acknowledged that they are still in an integration phase, they are already able to leverage the intelligence that the MessageLabs network brings, and offer a broader range of services for customers. Being able to use a heuristic method and reputation-based scanning in addition to threat signatures allows for more robust surveillance and response. When asked whether the move or at least increased attention to cloud-based services makes the Internet easier or harder to secure, Hernacki believes that it's not one or the other, but just different. There are now more endpoints that organizations need to secure, and Symantec needs to have a global overview of threats as they emerge.

When asked a similar question — namely whether software, infrastructure, or applications as-a-service is a step down for large enterprises but a step up for small businesses — Sunner contended that isn't the case. He argued that the sheer volume of data MessageLabs processes allows them to react to threats quicker, as compared to when information about threats was independent. They have seen how instead of payloads delivered as attachments in email, users are now engineered to click on links from spam. It is thus more important to address the spam issue more vigilantly.

Moreover, as different threats focus on the same vulnerabilities, by cross-checking signatures of the actual vulnerability, rather than that of the threat, MessageLabs has been able to see and scan for different threats emerging acros the globe, even zero day threats. When asked about whether this brings about privacy concerns, Sunner notes that with their experience working on UK government contracts, they are very aware of such concerns and they do everything to ensure that customer data is protected; any data fed back to the MessageLabs network is voluntary.

For me, talking to those who are in the forefront of cybersecurity was definitely enlightening. Although the Internet is definitely a less safe place than we wish it to be, like any popular medium there will be those who use it for nefarious purposes, we in the nonprofit sector need to be informed and protected at least on the most basic level, so that we don't contribute to the problem.

Photo via: MichaelMarlatt