New Services Expose Vulnerabilities

The first company, TruSecure of Herndon, Va., has introduced the TruServ and TruAdvisor services as well as a new dashboard product, Risk Commander, an enterprise software application that serves as a repository for information about a company's security profile. The application includes analytical tools that organizations can use to perform what-if assessments about how changes or new security risks will affect their infrastructure, said TruSecure CEO John Becker.

"Other systems tell you that the torpedo has already gone through the engine room," Becker said. "We're trying to build a system that is more proactive so people can make business decisions on how to allocate their resources. We're going to give our customers six to 20 months' notice about a particular vulnerability by culling through 10,000 vulnerabilities and allowing the customer to focus on the handful that will actually be exploited."

The product is priced starting at $150,000, plus $30,000 for any policy modules to help customers with specific issues such as adhering to HIPAA regulations, for example. Risk Commander is due to ship in November.

TruServ, the first of TruSecure's new security services, provides ongoing risk-reduction information and helps customers comply with various federal regulations related to corporate governance. TruAdvisor provides periodic assessments of a company's security infrastructure via a trusted third party.

Meanwhile, Cupertino, Calif.-based Symantec this week announced the DeepSight Threat Management System 5.0, scheduled to be available by the end of September.

DeepSight, which provides alerts about new security threats to which companies may be vulnerable, has been updated to include a custom reporting capability. That feature will allow customers to search for the security event database by country, time or industry.

Finally, Seattle-based Watchguard announced a network vulnerability service in conjunction with Qualys, Redwood Shores, Calif. The new service, dubbed WatchGuard AuditScan, helps customers identify emerging security risks in realtime and is intended to complement Watchguard's LiveSecurity offering, which is offered in conjunction with its security appliances.

A trial version of AuditScan is available immediately. The full service is due Oct. 14. A configuration that provides unlimited scans will start at $750, depending on the number of IP addresses being scanned. The service will also come in a 12-scan option that is priced at $225.