New Products and Architecture Provide Complete Coverage from Web-Based Malware, Phishing, Illegal and Inappropriate Content, E-Mail Spam, and DNS Attacks

October 15, 2008 — Nominum, the leading provider of network naming and addressing technologies, today announced enhancements to its Vantio caching DNS platform, two new products, and the new Trusted Response and Universal Enforcement (TRUETM) architecture that leverage the ubiquity, scale and performance of Nominum’s technology that currently serves 150 million broadband households.  Together, the new products and architecture offer real time protection for all broadband users and devices against a wide range of Internet threats and malicious, illegal and inappropriate content.

Nominum’s TRUE architecture and new products offer the following advantages:
- New revenues through paid subscriber services
- Reduce cost of helpdesk calls from users victimized by Internet threats
- Network-wide protection (all users, devices and applications)
- No impact to users, browsers and applications
- No privacy issues unlike intrusive approaches
- Hundred times better price / performance of alternatives
- No network re-architecture and no new hardware
- Scales up to a billion malicious Internet destinations
- Supports multiple threat data sources (best-of-breed)

“The browsing public, policy makers and industry watchdogs are all demanding greater safety and security while using the Internet,” said Tom Tovar, CEO of Nominum.  “With Nominum’s new offerings, service providers are now uniquely positioned to meet the demand for a trusted Internet experience with technically effective and operationally efficient solutions that don’t compromise user privacy or network performance.”

Comprehensive Architecture for a Trusted Internet Experience
Nominum’s TRUE architecture is an ideal launch point for service providers to maximize user protection without impacting privacy. The following Vantio enhancements and new products are the first in a series to utilize the new TRUE architecture:

- Vantio Base Server is an advanced caching DNS platform that now features a modular design for on-demand addition of new services. Vantio offers the most advanced DNS security, including protection against the Kaminsky cache poisoning attack.

- Vantio MDR (Malicious Domain Redirection) Service Delivery Module is a new add-on software module for the Vantio Base Server with real-time enforcement of threat data and security policies to safe guard Internet interactions. It acts as a self-learning enforcement point in the network and redirects user requests for malicious destinations to a helpful provider-managed notification page.

- Centris Server is a new threat aggregation and provisioning platform capable of tracking up to a billion malicious Internet destinations. It complements the Vantio MDR module by synchronizing with a wide range of threat information feeds in real-time and making the data instantaneously available to MDR enforcement nodes.

Click here to see how the TRUE architecture works.

“Nominum addressed DNS security with layered defenses against the Kaminsky and other vulnerabilities, and is now leveraging its secure DNS foundation to enable a safer and trusted Internet experience,” said Dr. Paul Mockapetris, Chairman and Chief Scientist at Nominum and inventor of the DNS. “Nominum allows service providers to protect users with reputation information that doesn't invade user privacy and meets or exceeds legal mandates.”

The new products and the TRUE architecture achieve complete coverage of threats to the network and Internet user, and maximize effectiveness across the entire broadband subscriber footprint, including new Internet-aware devices such as mobile phones.  They provide real-time protection from all forms of web-based malware, phishing, illegal or inappropriate content, and e-mail spam.  Likewise, Nominum’s Vantio provides four layers of protection against all forms of DNS attacks, including the Kaminsky cache poisoning attack, DoS and DDoS, and Birthday attacks. 

“DNS-based services present a variety of valuable benefits to service providers as well as end-users, encompassing things such as security, revenue generation and customer satisfaction," said David Vorhaus, analyst David Vorhaus, associate analyst in Yankee Group’s Enabling Technologies Service Provider group.  “Additionally, as government agencies and industry watchdogs pressure service providers to ensure security while safeguarding privacy, DNS redirection is an indispensable tool."

Pricing and Availability
All products are software only, generally available and may be purchased separately. Pricing is configuration dependent.