Forwarded From: phreakmoi <hackereliteat_private> From: http://www.currents.net/newstoday/98/11/03/news5.html By Sylvia Dennis, Newsbytes According to research just out from The Research Group, the use of Internet e-mail in over 60 percent of UK corporations is so bad that it leaves them vulnerable to prosecution. The research found that more than 80 percent of companies cannot prevent employees from sending confidential information to unauthorized parties (including competitors) via Internet e-mail -- a fast growing problem. To help organizations deal with this problem, network management and security specialist Peapod Group says it has launched the UK's first Internet e-mail monitoring service called ESP (E-mail Surveillance Program). According to Peapod, the survey of e-mail managers from 50 major UK corporations by The Research Group, showed that only 38 percent can monitor the content of Internet e-mail and only 18 percent are able to track their destination. According to the report, this leaves them vulnerable to the legal consequences of potentially offensive or libellous e-mail sent over the Internet by employees, such as prejudiced jokes, pornographic material and ill-considered comments about individuals or organizations. Peapod says that the launch of its ESP service has been welcomed by Dr. Simon Moores, chairman of The Research Group and The Microsoft Exchange Forum, and Robert Bond from the UK's leading IT specialist law firm, Hosbon Audley Hopkins & Wood. According to Peapod, using the latest Internet security software (called WorldSecure Server) Peapod's ESP service will monitor all corporate Internet e-mail traffic and help companies pinpoint violations of corporate e-mail use. Peapod will then analyse the accumulated data and produce a management report with security recommendations within seven days. Peapod says that its ESP service will protect customer organizations from issues such as libellous Internet e-mail content. The firm says that organizations are increasingly concerned about the legal consequences of their employees sending offensive or libellous e-mail via the Internet to third parties. The ESP service, it says, can identify potentially libellous messages by scanning e-mails for key words and recommend appropriate action. In addition to this, Peapod says that its ESP service also protects against the "leaking" of confidential information, a fast-growing yet little discussed problem. Peapod says that its software can identify and "quarantine" such e-mail and recommend approaches to blocking certain information from leaving the organization via e-mail. According to Peapod, many companies have now blocked employee access to non-business related Internet Web sites (e.g. pornographic sites) but are unable to control the flow of inappropriate material into the organization via Internet e-mail. These e-mails, the firm says, can contain huge files which waste expensive corporate computing and network resources. Peapod says it can quantify the extent of this problem and suggest flexible methods of reducing the problem. Pricing on the ESP service starts at 3,000 pounds ($5,100). Peapod's Web site is http://www.peapod.co.uk . Article posted on 11/03/98 -o- Subscribe: mail majordomoat_private with "subscribe isn". Today's ISN Sponsor: Repent Security Incorporated [www.repsec.com]
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