Websense Wireless protects minors from inappropriate content and bolsters smartphone security

Dark Reading Staff, Dark Reading

March 27, 2007

2 Min Read

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Websense® Wireless, a division of Websense, Inc. (NASDAQ: WBSN), today unveiled new software that allows wireless operators and service providers to provide advanced security features to protect both end-users and the network from malicious Web content and to adhere to regulatory, industry and government regulations designed to protect minors from inappropriate Internet content.

The new software – the Websense Wireless URL Categorization Engine – allows operators to increase revenue streams by deploying value-added services such as customized parental controls, premium content offerings for subscribers, enhanced wireless security identification offerings, as well as mobile advertising and marketing capabilities.

The Websense Wireless URL Categorization Engine uses Websense technology that collects URLs from Internet sites and classifies them. Depending on the content filters installed with the individual wireless service provider, access to Internet sites can be allowed, blocked, or allowed only after a “continue” option is presented to the subscriber. Wireless operators, or their subscribers, can set filtering policies for more than 90 categories of Web sites, ranging from adult content to spyware.

Websense is the first company to offer reputation-based Web security protection to wireless operators and service providers through its patent-pending ThreatSeeker™ malicious content identification and categorization technology. ThreatSeeker’s Web Reputation Scoring capability provides enhanced security intelligence to the Websense Wireless URL Categorization Engine by discovering and classifying Web sites based on reputation scores and suspicious characteristics. These high-risk sites are added to a threat “watch list,” so operators can block access to those sites, helping to improve an operator’s security coverage against external Web-based threats.

Websense ThreatSeeker scans more than 600 million Web sites per week to give Websense the power to protect operators’ mobile networks before they are compromised by security threats. With this technology, operators can provide preemptive protection from Web-based security threats – threats typically missed by antivirus systems. Unlike approaches to wireless security that use signature-based technology, Websense seeks out threats on the Internet before customers are compromised and protects customers before patches and signatures are created.

“The increasing availability of Internet-enabled wireless devices such as SmartPhones, most of which now feature broadband connectivity, is making it easier for wireless subscribers to enjoy a similar online experience that they have on their desktops. Unfortunately that also means increased exposure to online security threats and content unsuitable for minors,” said Kian Saneii, general manager, Websense Wireless. “Wireless operators and Internet service providers are now seeking a reliable, proven content filtering solution to deliver parental controls while also effectively protecting their subscribers from Web-based security threats.”

Websense Inc. (Nasdaq: WBSN)

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Dark Reading Staff

Dark Reading

Dark Reading is a leading cybersecurity media site.

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