Financial Institutions Turning To Online Vulnerability Scanning For Proactive Network Security

Sunnyvale, Calif. — October 10, 2001 — Qualys™, Inc., a leading provider of enterprise network vulnerability assessment and monitoring solutions, today announced that more than 40 leading financial institutions are now subscribers to its QualysGuard™ online network vulnerability scanning service. Compelled by their ongoing commitments to security, an increasing number of banks are viewing online vulnerability scanning as an important proactive weapon in the battle to safeguard the privacy of customer data and protect bank networks from hacks, worms, trojans and other attacks.

Financial institutions in the U.S. and Europe that have embraced Qualys vulnerability scanning include Bank of the West, Bremer Financial, Emprise Financial Corporation, Euroclear Bank, Citizens Equity Credit Union, Civic Bank of Commerce, Deer Valley Credit Union, Delrio National Bank, and Julius Baer Bank.

“The proliferation of network vulnerabilities such as Code Red and the Nimda worm show how crucial it is for banks to get out in front of would-be intruders with a proactive line of defense,” said Steven J. Onken, Senior Vice President & Director of Marketing for Emprise Financial Corporation. “Banks of all sizes should seriously consider making online vulnerability scanning part of their ongoing security process.”

“The Bank of the West continually assesses new information protection technology, and the innovative online scanning technologies presented by QualysGuard help us to be proactive in preventing unauthorized access,” said Stephan Shin, Group Manager of Bank of the West. “By looking at our networks from the outside-in, Qualys provides a very cost-effective and efficient way to stay on top of emerging security exposures.”

“Online vulnerability scanning lets us assess network security exposures on an on-demand basis over the Internet while leveraging constantly up-to-date vulnerability detection signatures,” said Craig R. Torgerson, Vice President and Technology Manager at Bremer Financial. “In effect, online scanning services such as QualysGuard turn the Internet itself into a tool against would-be network intruders.”

Delivered over the Internet, the pioneering QualysGuard service uses advanced vulnerability detection techniques to assess a network’s security exposures and suggest remedies before intruders can take advantage of them. The online delivery model removes the need for specialized customer-premise software and ensures that banks are able to detect the latest network vulnerabilities as they emerge. Currently, more than 1,200 different vulnerability assessment signatures are used to detect and evaluate security risks. Qualys security researchers work around the clock to identify new vulnerabilities and update the platform with new signatures so users can stay continually abreast of the latest security threats.

“Financial institutions are keenly aware of their obligation to protect a customer’s personal information and are serious in evaluating new security tools,” said Philippe Courtot, chairman and CEO of Qualys. “Qualys is equally committed to furthering the state-of-the-art of network security and we take it as a endorsement of our technology that so many financial institutions have embraced our scanning service.”

Financial institutions and other prospective customers can evaluate the QualysGuard service through a free trial scan, available by visiting www.qualys.com/forms/trial.html.

About Qualys

With more than 2,000 subscribers ranging from small businesses to multinational corporations, Qualys has become the leader in on demand vulnerability management and policy compliance. The company allows security managers to strengthen the security of their networks effectively, conduct automated security audits and ensure compliance with internal policies and external regulations. Qualys’ on demand technology offers customers significant economic advantages, requiring no capital outlay or infrastructure to deploy and manage. Its distributed scanning capabilities and unprecedented scalability make it ideal for large, distributed organisations. Hundreds of large companies have deployed Qualys on a global scale, including AXA, DuPont, Hershey Foods, ICI Ltd, Novartis, Sodexho, Standard Chartered Bank and many others. Qualys is headquartered in Redwood City, California, with European offices in France, Germany and the U.K., and Asian representatives in Japan, Singapore, Australia, Korea and the Republic of China. For more information, please visit www.qualys.com.

Qualys, the Qualys logo and QualysGuard are proprietary trademarks of Qualys, Inc. All other products or names may be trademarks of their respective companies.

Media Contact:
Tami Casey
Qualys
media@qualys.com