Symantec Acquires Anti-Phishing Firm

Looking to improve the security and anti-phishing capabilities of its products, Symantec on Thursday announced that it had acquired WholeSecurity. The firm's technology analyzes worms and viruses in order to better provide protection against attacks, rather than looking for signatures of specific threats.

This approach works better than traditional methods says WholeSecurity, because it can stop an unknown attack immediately by looking for a set of characteristics common to viruses, worms and code attacks.

"We have been the first line of defense for our customers, protecting them against new forms of malicious threats before signatures can be created," J. Peter Selda, president and CEO, WholeSecurity said.

Panda Software employs similar technology in its TruPrevent line of products to preemptively protect users from new or undocumented attacks.

Selda says the combination of Symantec and his company would enable WholeSecurity to bring its products to a much larger audience. Currently, about 100 customers use WholeSecurity's software, including eBay, Visa, Deutsche Bank, Raymond James, and Comeria.

WholeSecurity arsenal includes four major products. Confidence Online for Web Applications offers protection for unmanaged or remote computers that do not have the client installed, allowing clean computers to access the Web application while blocking infected ones.

Confidence Online for Corporate PCs provides real-time protection for managed computers, and Confidence Online for E-Commerce protects consumer e-commerce sessions.

Finally, the Confidence Online Phish Finder provides browser-based protection from phishing Web sites. Many consumers already unknowingly use this feature - it is the phishing protection built into the eBay toolbar.

The acquisition is expected to close next month.