Cisco Adds Features to IronPort Email Security Solution

At Cisco Live, the company’s annual IT and communications conference, Cisco today introduced new technology to increase the efficiency and security of cloud-based networks, including new email security features for its IronPort Email Security solution.

The new features are designed to counter the increasing number of low-volume targeted email attacks and to provide highly secure email encryption for better end user experiences. The company says its cloud security solutions for web and email reduce risk of malware, phishing attacks and spam through consistent protection policies.

In late June, Cisco released new research, further confirming that cybercriminals have made a fundamental shift in strategy, abandoning traditional mass spam attacks in favor of personalized attacks with a greater financial impact on targeted organizations. Despite the fact that mass spam volumes plummeted from 300 billion daily spam messages to just 40 billion between June 2010 and June 2011, Cisco estimates overall cost of targeted attacks to organizations worldwide at $1.29 billion annually.

Cisco IronPort Outbreak Filters help protect against personalized email attacks (often referred to as “spear phishing“) that target individuals or small groups. Using integrated IronPort and ScanSafe security technology, the Outbreak Filters identify messages likely to be targeted attacks, and protect users by blocking access to malicious Web sites.

Designed to protect email accessed by any tablet, PC or smartphone, new features in Cisco’s IronPort Email Security:

• Enable business users to use existing corporate credentials (userID and password) to access most of their cloud applications with a single user sign-on

• Enable true disabling of recalled email messages so that recipients can no longer read them

• Allows end users “secure forward capability” to control who an email can be forwarded to

Related Content: Nine Steps to Smart Security for Small Businesses

“The new Cisco IronPort Outbreak Filters solution will play a big role in helping our customers better protect their businesses from an ever-changing threat landscape,” said Tom McArthur, President of Storbase Corporation. “Most of these companies have invested in only rudimentary Web security solutions making them susceptible to everyday blended threats originating via email. Cisco is simplifying security protection for our customers by helping ensure that they have the most comprehensive defense against today’s highly sophisticated email-born threats while providing users a secure and simple way to manage and access their email.”

Cisco acquired IronPort in 2007 for $850 Million, and the technology has been a key product in the company’s security portfolio ever since.