Check Point ThreatCloud™ powers new Anti-Bot and Antivirus Software Blades, bringing security intelligence and real-time protections to security gateways
CALGARY, AB – April 17, 2012 – Check Point® Software Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq: CHKP), the worldwide leader in securing the Internet, today announced Check Point ThreatCloud™ – the first collaborative network to fight cybercrime – that gathers threat data from an innovative worldwide network of threat sensors and distributes threat intelligence to security gateways around the globe. With  over 250 million addresses analyzed for bot discovery, 4.5 million malware signatures and 300,000 infected sites, Check Point ThreatCloud powers new Anti-Bot and enhanced Antivirus Software Blades by feeding threat updates directly to customers’ gateways, enabling them to enforce pre-emptive protection against advanced threats, such as bots, APTs (Advanced Persistent Threats), and other forms of sophisticated malware. Introduced at the company’s Check Point Experience (CPX) event in Orlando, Florida, the solution is available with release R75.40, announced today, providing businesses with multi-layered threat prevention to help customers keep their edge in security.
Cybercriminals leveraging malware, bots and other forms of advanced threats often target multiple sites and organizations to increase the likelihood of an attack’s success. As many enterprises fight these threats separately, more than half of such threats are left undetected without a current way of sharing threat information across entities. To stay ahead of modern threats, businesses must collaborate – sharing threat data between organizations – to make security stronger and more effective.
Check Point ThreatCloud is dynamically updated based on an innovative global network of threat sensors and invites organizations to share threat data and collaborate in the fight against modern malware.
Customers can choose to collaborate by feeding ThreatCloud with their own threat data and can receive incoming protection updates through their security gateways with enriched threat intelligence. When new bots or malware threats are identified on an organization’s network, the malware identifier – such as the IP address, URL or DNS – is sent to the ThreatCloud and an update is distributed to their peers and customers around the world in a matter of seconds. ThreatCloud also includes other sources of threat data from the company’s install base of security gateways, Check Point research, and industry malware feeds.
“With new forms of malware being generated on a daily basis, ThreatCloud expands an organization’s security footprint, bringing customers significantly more information and analysis about attacks than they would have otherwise had before,” said Paul Comessotti, Canadian Regional Director, Check Point Software Technologies. “Check Point ThreatCloud is based on a global collaboration to increase the volume, quality and speed of threat intelligence – enabling customers to quickly respond to threats that may have happened next door and apply the appropriate protections to their gateways before they can spread.”
Check Point ThreatCloud sends collective threat information directly to security gateways and software blades, providing customers with real-time threat information and attack trends to enforce protection against bots, APTs and other sophisticated forms of malware – making it the first and unique collaborative network to fight cybercrime.
“We see threat intelligence increasingly coming up as a topic of interest for many businesses, primarily because of the rise of advanced threats today, and in comparison, few resources where businesses can get quick access to the data, research and protections they need,” said John Grady, senior analyst, security products at IDC Research. “Whether an organization has already been the target of an APT or is simply looking to apply new pre-emptive protections, Check Point’s ThreatCloud enabled software blades are a promising solution that allows customers around the world to leverage Check Point’s broad installed base and threat research expertise within their own environment.”
Available today, the company’s new Anti-Bot Software Blade is powered by ThreatCloud, and is designed to help businesses discover, stop and prevent bot damage. The software blade features Check Point’s Multi-tier ThreatSpect™, a unique bot detection engine that analyzes traffic on every gateway and discovers bots by correlating multiple risk factors – such as botnet patterns, remote operator hide-outs and attack behaviours. When a bot is identified, the solution prevents damage by immediately blocking communication between infected hosts and remote operators.
“To date, in every instance where we deployed Check Point’s Anti-Bot technology, we’ve discovered bots roaming the network, essentially acting as a small agent of a bigger army, without organizations knowing it,” added Comessotti. “Together with ThreatCloud, customers can quickly discover bots and other forms of malware that may otherwise be left undiscovered for months or even years.”
To further strengthen Check Point’s comprehensive threat prevention solution, the enhanced Antivirus Software Blade, also powered by ThreatCloud, delivers over 300 times more signatures than previous versions, enabling customers to restrict access to malware-infested websites and prevent unknown virus infections from invading the network to keep host systems secure. Leveraging intuitive dashboards, customers can quickly analyze bot and malware threats, highlighting emerging threats, their level of risk and resulting security implications for the business – such as data loss or an increase in fraudulent spam distribution. Together, the Anti-Bot and Antivirus Software Blades enable organizations to enforce a strong, unified threat prevention solution to protect their businesses from the next wave of cybercrime.
The new solution is available with Check Point’s latest software blade release, R75.40, which also introduces Check Point GAiA™ unified operating system supporting all security gateways and software blades. With over 100 additional security features, R75.40 brings customers advanced threat prevention, security consolidation and simplified management for better visibility and control.
“In today’s modern malware landscape, it’s become necessary to orchestrate various layers of security protection to provide a unified line of defense. Being able to leverage ThreatCloud for security intelligence, while integrating multiple layers of security – from Firewall and Intrusion Prevention to new Anti-Bot and Antivirus capabilities – enables customers to pre-emptively protect their organizations from advanced threats in a collaborative way,” concluded Comessotti.
 
Pricing and Availability
Release R75.40 is a free upgrade for existing customer and pricing for individual software blades begins at $1,500. Release R75.40 and the new Anti-Bot and Antivirus Software Blades are available immediately through Check Point’s worldwide network of value-added resellers. To find a Check Point partner, visit: http://partners.us.checkpoint.com/partnerlocator/.