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WatchGuard Network Security Appliances Protect Against Latest Adobe Flash Vulnerability

For Vulnerable Systems, WatchGuard Security Appliances Can Protect Against Malicious Attacks

SEATTLE - May 29, 2008. WatchGuard® Technologies, a global provider of network security solutions, today announced that its WatchGuard Firebox® family of unified threat management (UTM) network security appliances can protect networks from the latest Adobe Flash vulnerability. With WatchGuard, businesses need not wait for a security patch or upgrade to their systems in order to maintain high security.

"This represents a classic example of a ‘zero-day’ attack," said Tim Helming, director of product management at WatchGuard Technologies. "From the moment an exploit is discovered to the date that a system is upgraded or patched, business networks are vulnerable. Here, WatchGuard customers can continue to run their networks worry-free because our appliances automatically defend against this type of threat."

Anatomy of the threat
Adobe Flash Player displays interactive, animated Web content called Flash, which is often formatted as a Shockwave (.SWF) file, and is supported worldwide by most web browsers. The threat occurs when a user downloads and plays a specially crafted Shockwave Flash (.SWF) file. In doing so, an attacker today can exploit a flaw in .SWF to execute code on the user’s computer, which could lead to an attacker gaining complete control over the victim’s computer.

Malicious .SWF files can be hosted on websites, or sent via an HTML e-mail, or delivered in other applications that embed Flash. Compounding this threat is the fact that hackers can inject this exploit into legitimate websites, using a sophisticated but highly popular web attack, known as SQL injections. Industry reports estimate that approximately 250,000 legitimate websites may be currently and unknowingly hosting these malicious .SWF files.

WatchGuard’s Application Aware Security
By using WatchGuard’s innovative application proxy technology, which is included in WatchGuard’s UTM appliances, administrators can prevent network computer users from accessing Shockwave Flash (.SWF) files via the web (HTTP) or by e-mail (SMTP, POP3). However this may lead to blocking content on websites that rely on Flash, such as YouTube and JibJab. More information on how to utilize WatchGuard’s application proxy technology is available at: www.WatchGuard.com.

About WatchGuard Technologies, Inc.
Since 1996, WatchGuard® Technologies, Inc. has been the advanced technology leader of network security solutions, providing mission-critical security to hundreds of thousands of businesses worldwide. The WatchGuard Firebox® X family of wired and wireless unified threat management appliances and WatchGuard SSL VPN remote access solutions provide extensible network security, unparalleled network visibility, management and control. WatchGuard products are backed by WatchGuard LiveSecurity® Service, an innovative support, maintenance, and education program. WatchGuard is headquartered in Seattle and has offices serving North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America. To learn more, visit www.watchguard.com.

WatchGuard, Firebox, and LiveSecurity are registered trademarks of WatchGuard Technologies, Inc. All other marks are property of their respective owners.