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Fingerprint Sharing Alliance Targets Hackers
Chris Richardson
Contributing Writer
2005-03-29
 Insider Reports RSS Feed
Arbor Networks, a company committed to curbing Internet-based security attacks, has started a coalition called the Fingerprint Sharing Alliance. The goal of the association is to present a unified front against the various malicious computer attacks circulating the web.
 | | Fingerprint Sharing Alliance Targets Internet Security |  |
Because Internet and computer-related security measures are based on a reactive responses, the alliance feels technology and measures that better locate the source of an attack are crucial to computer security, hence the development of the Fingerprint Sharing Alliance.
Currently the Alliance consists of globabl telecommunications companies, British Telecom, MCI and NTT Communications. Also included in the group are:
Asia Netcom
Broadwing Communications LLC, USA
Cisco Systems, Inc., USA
EarthLink, USA
Energis, UK
Internet2, USA
ITC^DeltaCom, USA
Merit Network, USA
Rackspace, USA
The Planet, USA
University of Pennsylvania, USA
Utah Education Network, USA
Verizon Dominicana, Dominican Republic
WilTel Communications, USA
XO Communications, USA.
A description in Arbor's Fingerprint Sharing Alliance proposal page reveals the method in which the alliance will attempt to improve security measures and the idea behind the alliance's name:
Attack resolution requires real-time cooperation and coordination between service providers to identify a compromised or infected system as close to the absolute Internet ingress as possible.
The community of service providers that are participating in the Fingerprint Alliance will be sharing cyber attack profiles, or "fingerprints" to stop attacks more quickly and closer to the source. This is the first time worldwide telecommunications companies have been able to share attack profiles automatically, allowing providers to consistently protect one another and their customers from today's distributed threats.
The idea behind the alliance's approach involves the sharing of information concerning attacks. In order to be effective against various security risks, the FSA wants this sharing to take place automatically. The FSA feels an automated sharing technology, the first of its kind, will improve reactions to various attacks.
Jim Slaby, Senior Yankee Group Analyst had these thoughts concerning FSA: "We're seeing more technology-savvy criminals trying to make money through denial of service extortion schemes. Service providers that are cooperating by sharing attack fingerprints are helping mitigate these threats more quickly and closer to the source, thus making the Internet a more secure place."
In order to facilitate the Fingerprint Sharing approach, Arbor Networks' Peakflow SP has been enhanced to enable the sharing of attack fingerprints automatically across numerous networks without revealing sensitive company information. With this approach, Arbor feels, "Sharing real-time attack profiles and blocking closer to the source is a critical step in offering end-to-end security across networks worldwide."
The FSA also feels confident it can deliver the following benefits for service providers and their customers:
Network operators now have an efficient, automated process for engaging the service provider community in solving significant threats to the Internet
Service providers' customers - large enterprises, small businesses, and residential customers - benefit from the faster and more effective response to attacks by their providers
Service providers benefit by being able to communicate attack information more quickly, and will be able to spend less time dealing with attacks, and mitigating attacks closer to the real ingress points
SLA obligations can be strengthened with a higher rate of fulfillment, and
Network operators can automatically share attack information across network boundaries in real-time without revealing any competitive information
To learn more about the Fingerprint Sharing Alliance, visit Arbor's information page. The site also contains a number of releases concerning FSA and it's goals.
About the Author:
Chris Richardson is a search engine writer for WebProNews. Visit WebProNews for the latest search news.
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