IT Security Pros Reveal Rogue Online Businesses Flourishing Inside Corporations

Competition for Most Unusual Corporate Internet Abuse Demonstrates Business Is Far from Usual

ORANGE, Calif. – May 1, 2006 – The results of a competition just released by Internet filtering and reporting company, 8e6 Technologies, revealed that while some corporate employees may be minding the store—it's sometimes their own, not the company's. The competition, which solicited the most unusual misuse of network resources revealed by Web filtering, was won by a corporate IT manager whose use of Web filtering revealed an employee who was not only running his own business from within the company, but selling items stolen from the corporate warehouse as well.

"Naturally, we promised anonymity to those who responded," commented Eric Lundbohm, vice president of marketing for 8e6. "Most of the anecdotes were amazing and very serious to the companies involved."

Second prize went to a CTO who had to bring his company back online after the Victoria's Secret Webcast overloaded the network. Third prize went to an infrastructure manager who busted a woman running an outcall service from within the company. Other anecdotes can be found on the 8e6 website at www.8e6.com/press/RSA2006-survey-results.html.

Of the responses from more than 400 participants, eBay businesses were among those most cited by the study, along with Internet gambling. Pedophilia was among the most serious responses—a crime with which corporations are extremely concerned for legal liability reasons.

"URL filtering is but one of a few perimeter-based security technologies for protecting against malicious Internet content," said Lawrence Orans, research director at Gartner. "Organizations increasingly use URL filtering as a first line of defense, by blocking access to Web sites that spread spyware and other forms of malware."

Competition participants were also asked to fill out a survey form in which results indicated that bandwidth concerns and the need for regular reports to management were on the rise.

Survey Highlights

• More than 32 percent cited the need to control employee productivity as a key driver for Web filtering.
• Nearly a fourth of respondents reported that managing bandwidth was a primary concern.
• A third of the respondents are now required to provide detailed reports on Internet surfing to management and nearly a third must do so on a weekly basis.
• Blocking inappropriate content was cited as the most critical need for filtering by a little less than half the respondents but still remains the top priority in Web filtering—as the survey was designed to highlight. Filtering has been a first line of defense for safeguarding corporations from legal liability since the inception of the Web.

"When 8e6 first started in this business more than 10 years ago, Internet filtering was used primarily to block access to inappropriate content," said Paul Myer, president and COO of 8e6 Technologies. "Today with fat pipes and powerful Web tools at employees' disposal, it's not difficult for them to launch side businesses selling wares or even company secrets, all powered by the company network. The good news for companies is that filtering technologies have evolved with the maturation of the Internet, and detailed reporting is now standard fare, allowing companies to meet stringent regulatory requirements and zero in on Web use by employee."

About 8e6 Technologies
8e6 Technologies is a security company dedicated to Internet filtering and reporting. We are the only Web filtering company that uses a unique "pass-by technology" on a highly scalable appliance. Our standalone reporting appliance is easy to use and provides extremely detailed information, faster than any other product on the market. By preventing improper Web access, 8e6 Technologies assures CIPA compliance and provides a secure learning environment. Our standalone security solution achieves a dramatic reduction in the cost of hardware, subscriptions, maintenance, and support, and produces a substantially lower total cost of ownership. A Web filtering pioneer since 1995, the company maintains headquarters in Orange, California, with offices in Taipei and Beijing, as well as a network of channel partners worldwide. For more information, please call 888.786.7999 or visit www.8e6.com/education.

Contact for media and analysts:
Eric Lundbohm
8e6 Technologies
Phone: 714-282-6111 ext. 161
e-mail address: elundbohm@8e6.com