Core Security and PatchLink Partner To Deliver Comprehensive Risk Analysis, Vulnerability Management and Remediation Across The Enterprise

To combat the increasing threats of viruses, worms and hacker attacks, Core Security Technologies, provider of CORE IMPACT™, the first-to-market penetration testing product for assessing specific information security risks, and PatchLink® Corporation, the global leader in patch and vulnerability management, have partnered to help protect core assets within the enterprise by integrating their products.

The combined solution enables administrators to automatically gain access to rogue computers using CORE IMPACT to quickly identify and penetrate these machines and deploy the PatchLink Update™ agent to facilitate quick and easy remediation of that system. Once the PatchLink Update agent is installed on the rogue computer, patches and service packs can be quickly downloaded and installed along with any other required software or policy settings needed to bring that system back into compliance with local network security policies. Given the escalating pace of attacks on corporate networks, even one vulnerable machine can pose a threat. Yet IT administrators are frequently faced with new systems being added every day to the network - rebuilt employee systems, new computers purchased by the company, Virtual Machine-based systems, visitor laptops or even remote access users connecting through a VPN - that can be completely out of policy compliance. A single vulnerable machine can pose a tremendous threat to an organization as it can be used as an entry point for further widespread attack. The ability to effectively manage this common computing "Protecting the enterprise from the escalating number of software vulnerabilities requires two steps; finding the vulnerabilities, which must include discovering all the devices on your network which have vulnerabilities, and then delivering patches to all those machines," said Charles Kolodgy, research director of Security Products at IDC. "By combining the vulnerability remediation capability of PatchLink with the 'attacker view' penetration testing of Core Security, enterprises could greatly reduce their exposure to vulnerabilities by ensuring they find and fix all machines." CORE IMPACT makes it easy, efficient and cost-effective for any security professional or network administrator to perform a penetration test. With just a point and click, CORE IMPACT allows a user to safely exploit vulnerabilities within their network, replicating the kind of access an intruder could achieve. By exploiting these vulnerabilities and the relationships that exist among network components, CORE IMPACT helps users intelligently prioritize remediation efforts, validate the security of vital information stored on critical severs, and accurately evaluate the effectiveness of IDS, IPS and other deployed or considered security technologies. "Enterprises are grappling with protecting their networks against an ever-increasing barrage of vulnerabilities that could leave them open to attack and theft of corporate assets," said Jeff Cassidy, vice president of business development, Core Security. "By integrating CORE IMPACT's industry-leading, automated penetration testing capabilities with PatchLink's solution, we are helping customers further improve their security postures through an advanced vulnerability management and remediation process." "PatchLink is committed to helping customers effectively protect their networks with integrated tools that address key challenges such as unmanaged machines accessing their networks," said Chris Andrew, vice president of security technologies, PatchLink. "Through our partnerships with technology innovators like Core Security, PatchLink looks to provide solutions that extend beyond our core patch and vulnerability management capabilities and deliver greater value to our customers as they seek to eliminate risks and reduce overall IT costs."

ABOUT CORE SECURITY TECHNOLOGIES

Core Security Technologies develops strategic solutions that help security-conscious organizations worldwide develop and maintain a proactive process for securing their networks. The company's flagship product, CORE IMPACT, is the first automated penetration testing product for assessing specific information security threats to an organization. Penetration testing evaluates overall network security and identifies what resources are exposed. It enables organizations to determine if current security investments are detecting and preventing attacks. Core augments its leading technology solution with world-class security consulting services, including penetration testing, software security auditing and related training. Based in Boston, MA and Buenos Aires, Argentina, Core Security Technologies can be reached at 617-399-6980 or on the Web at http://www.coresecurity.com.

About PatchLink

PatchLink®, a global leader in vulnerability management solutions, provides the industry's first comprehensive security platform for unified protection and control of all enterprise servers and endpoints. More than 5,000 organizations around the globe use PatchLink's positive security model solutions to integrate management and administration, consolidate infrastructure, enforce enterprise-level policies, lower cost of ownership and reduce risk. PatchLink is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona and was founded in 1991 by Sean Moshir.