Sophos opens up Cashback Programme to new Partners

IT security and data protection firm, Sophos, today announced that it was opening up its successful Cashback partner rebate programme to new resellers in the UK. The Sophos Cashback programme is the only UK channel programme in the industry to offer the channel an additional rebate for achieving new revenue and renewing customers.

This programme represents a further development in Sophos's ongoing commitment to the channel and is recognition of the importance of its breadth partners in supporting the future of Sophos's business.

The Cashback programme offers an impressive 15% rebate for exceeding realistic and achievable targets and renewing business, in addition to the existing and agreed margin rates. The Cashback programme, which is now open to new as well as existing Sophos partners, gives resellers the opportunity to significantly increase their profitability by offering rewards for looking after their customers.

"We are delighted to offer any reseller the chance to profit from looking after their customers as well as grow their business. We've already seen the Cashback programme working well for existing Sophos channel partners and now we want to extend its reach to new resellers who are looking to earn a bit more in this tough economic climate," said Chris Doggett, director of channel programmes at Sophos. "The Sophos Cashback programme offers resellers a very competitive 15% rebate for exceeding their revenue and renewal targets - the more resellers sell, the more profit they earn."

To get started, resellers need to log onto the Cashback website and register their interest in joining the programme. After accepted the Terms and Conditions they can then login to the member area where they can view quarterly revenue and renewal targets, view their progress to date and update their profile, view programme information and claim rebates.

Ciaran Rafferty, vice president of UK and Ireland, Sophos, added, "We understand that, as a 100% channel-focussed business, we must create profits for committed, active partners. That is why we have devised the Sophos Cashback programme. It not only rewards resellers for new business but it is also the only channel program that rewards partners for taking care of their customers. If you take care of your customers, we deliver rebates to take care of you!"

Becoming a Sophos partner also provides additional benefits beyond 15% rebate. The Sophos Partner Programme also equips you with the right tools and in-house training in order to exceed revenue targets, earn higher rates of retained margins, boost customer retention rates and increase sales productivity.

To Purchase Sophos Products visit http://enterpriseav.com/

Users warned of following Facebook privacy recommendations

IT security and data protection firm Sophos has warned Facebook users of the dangers of blindly following Facebook's new privacy settings.

Facebook has announced a dramatic change to the privacy options, encouraging its 350 million users to share more information with everybody on the internet. However, Sophos warns that some users may not be aware that Facebook's recommendations include third party search engines and external websites, and changes to privacy settings that they may have previously enabled to better protect themselves from identity thieves.

"These could be the most important clicks you ever make on Facebook," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos. "If you don't read carefully you could find that every post you make on Facebook, and your personal information, is visible to everyone in the world who has a computer rather than just your Facebook friends."

"Let's make this clear. If you make your information available to "everyone", it actually means "everyone, forever". Because even if you change your mind, it's too late - and although Facebook say they will remove it from your profile they will have no control about how it is used outside of Facebook," added Cluley.

"There's one very simple rule you should follow - if you don't want everyone in the world to read it, don't post it on the internet," continued Cluley. "If you dig around on Facebook you can find out what the privacy changes mean. The problem is that most people won't bother reading and simply follow Facebook's recommendations without understanding how a split-second decision could hit them hard in the future."

To Purchase Sophos Products visit http://enterpriseav.com/

Facebook users at risk of "rubber duck" identity attack

IT security and data protection firm Sophos has today released the results of its latest probe into how easy it is to steal identities via Facebook.

Sophos created two fictitious users with names based on anagrams of the words "false identity" and "stolen identity". 21-year-old "Daisy Felettin" was represented by a picture of a toy rubber duck bought at a $2 shop; 56-year-old "Dinette Stonily" posted a profile picture of two cats lying on a rug. Each sent out 100 friend requests to randomly-chosen Facebook users in their age-group.

Within two weeks, a total of 95 strangers chose to become friends with Daisy or Dinette - an even higher response rate then when Sophos first performed the experiment two years ago with a plastic frog. Worse still, in the latest study, eight Facebookers befriended Dinette without even being asked.

"We assumed things would be better in 2009 but the situation is worse. This really is a wake-up call," said Paul Ducklin, Head of Technology, Asia Pacific at Sophos in Sydney who conducted the study. "Our honeymoon period with social networking sites ought to be over by now - but many users still have a 'couldn't care less' attitude to their personal data."

89% of the 20-somethings and 57% of the 50-somethings who befriended Daisy and Dinette also gave away their full-date-of-birth. Nearly all the others suppressed their year of birth, but this is often easy to calculate or to guess from other information given out. Even worse, just under half of the 20-ish crowd, and just under a third of the 50-ish crowd, gave away personal information about their friends and family.

"People aren't just handing over their own life story to criminals," warned Ducklin. "They're betraying people close to them, too, by helping those cybercrooks build up a detailed picture of their life and their milieu. This is an identity scammer's dream."

Sophos is calling on users of social networking sites to think much more strictly about what it means to accept someone as your friend. "We're not trying to be killjoys," explained Ducklin. "We just want you to be much more circumspect about whom you choose to trust online."

Information Daisy Dinette
Friends accepting 46% 41%
Total friends gained 46 49

Full d.o.b. (D/M/Y) 89% 57%
Partial d.o.b. (D/M) 9% 35%
Email address 100% 88%
College or workplace 74% 22%
Town or suburb 50% 43%
Full address 4% 6%
Phone number 7% 23%
IM screen name 13% 18%
Family and friend data 46% 31%
Average no. of friends 220 932

"Ten years ago it would have taken several weeks for con artists and identity thieves to gather this kind of information about a single person," added Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. "Social networks have made it easier for the bad guys to scoop up information about innocent members of the public. Everyone must learn to be more careful about how they share information online, or risk becoming the victims of identity thieves."

Sophos has produced the following top tips for users wanting to protect themselves from identity thieves on Facebook:

* Don't blindly accept friends. Treat a friend as the dictionary does, namely"someone whom you know, like and trust." A friend is not merely a button you click on. You don't need, and can't realistically claim to have, 932 true friends.
* Learn the privacy system of any social networking site you join. Use restrictive settings by default. You can open up to true friends later. Don't give away too much too soon.
* Assume that everything you reveal on a social networking site will be visible on the internet for ever. Once it has been searched, and indexed, and cached, it may later turn up online no matter what steps you take to delete it.

To Purchase Sophos Products visit http://enterpriseav.com/

Sophos technology helps Enfield Borough Council become CoCo compliant

IT security and control firm Sophos today announced that the London Borough of Enfield Council has deployed Sophos SafeGuard encryption technology across 3,000 laptops to ensure that data is kept secure and compliant with the Government Connect Secure Extranet’s (GCSX’s) Code of Connection (CoCo) regulations.

Introduced in April 2008, the CoCo is a series of IT security standards that set the future of communications between local and central Government by way of the GCSX network. The standards require all local authorities to implement strict security processes and IT controls, as well as provide secure access to data through multi-factor authentication.

Enfield Borough Council is deploying Sophos’s encryption solution on to all its laptop computers across its entire estate. The installation is part of a borough-wide ‘corporate desktop transformation’ project due for completion by March 2010.

"With the introduction of the CoCo regulations, we needed a robust and reliable solution that would help us meet strict security control criteria," said Alan Andrews, technical architecture and delivery manager at the London Borough of Enfield Council. "Sophos’s encryption technology has helped us achieve this."

Sophos SafeGuard meets the complex needs of large organisations that require highly-scalable, maintainable, data security solutions. Designed to integrate quickly and effectively with existing security infrastructures, the software is easy to administer from a single central console. The solution is also capable of automating administrative tasks, saving IT teams a significant amount of time on configuration.

Offering comprehensive data protection on all kinds of devices from laptops, desktops and email to removable media such as portable USB drives, Sophos’s solution provides Enfield Council with encryption and data loss prevention (DLP) technology under one management control. With report, audit and logging capabilities, Sophos SafeGuard also enables the Council to monitor regulatory compliance requirements ensuring that user communication adheres to Government and industry regulations at all times.

"Complying with the CoCo was a major driving force behind the Sophos deployment – but we also had to consider the technical implications of the Council’s new flexible working scheme in conjunction with the desktop transformation project," continued Andrews. "On an IT level this approach means an increased number of staff using laptops for remote working – the risk of data loss is vast. We’ve all heard the horror stories in the press, so it was obvious to us that deploying an encryption solution was the best way to ensure our data’s security."

As part of the IT overhaul, Enfield Council also selected Sophos Endpoint Security and Control to ensure that its corporate network of 4,500 machines – and the sensitive data stored on it – is protected against malware, viruses and hackers. With integrated anti-virus, anti-spyware, host intrusion prevention, application control, firewall and Network Access Control (NAC) to block viruses and spyware, Sophos’s ‘out-of-the-box’ security solution ensures that the Council’s computers are running authorised up-to-date software – another CoCo criterion – and adhere to specific user policies set by the organisation.

"Sophos’s comprehensive preventative endpoint protection, combined with its encryption solution means that our corporate network is protected from all sides," added Andrews. "Data protection was paramount in this decision process – and we now have two solutions that complement each other perfectly, ensuring we fulfil our responsibilities to the public and that our network is future-proofed."

"Local authorities are facing a huge cost burden with the introduction of the Government’s GCSX CoCo standards, so choosing a solution that not only assists the IT team to meet security compliance regulations, but which is also compatible with their IT infrastructure, is an enormous task," said Ciaran Rafferty, vice president of Sophos UK&I. "A reputable, accessible security solution that helps IT teams to comply with government standards, as well as adding value to the organisation as a whole, is the key to safeguarding sensitive data and avoiding embarrassing data loss incidents."

To Purchase Sophos Products visit http://enterpriseav.com/

bit.ly partners with Sophos to provide proactive web threat protection for its users

IT security and data protection firm Sophos today announced that it has entered into an agreement with bit.ly, the world’s most popular utility used to shorten, share, and track links, to assist them in protecting users against visiting webpages that may contain a malware, spam or phishing threat.

According to SophosLabs, 23,500 new infected webpages are discovered every day – four times worse than in 2007. Organizations have become increasingly concerned about the rise in malicious attacks taking place via social networking sites, as well as the risks of users revealing sensitive personal or corporate data online.

Over a third of social networking users report that they have been spammed via social networking sites, and more than 20% reporting that they have been the target of malware - with cybercriminals often using shortened links to disguise their attacks.

"bit.ly is committed to protecting its users from spam and malware," says Andrew Cohen, general manager at bit.ly. "Services like Sophos are an important part of building trust."

bit.ly currently filters all links through several independent services to check for spam, suspected phishing scams, malware, and other objectionable content. It also enables users to preview any page by adding a "+" to the end of a bit.ly URL. Given the rapidly growing use of bit.ly on the web, and specifically on micro-blogging sites such as Facebook, Twitter, CNN, twitterfeed, there is a danger that cybercriminals could try to exploit bit.ly links in order to infect users.

bit.ly has partnered with Sophos to provide:

* Unparalleled visibility of infected websites through Sophos’s combination of virus/malicious behavior detection, search engine partnerships and anti-spam honeypots, which constantly trawl the web and scan email traffic to find newly infected sites and trace them back to the malicious hosting sites.

* Behavioral scanning of the content of webpages to dynamically identify new malware; keeping Sophos one step ahead of the malware authors and their attempts to get past traditional anti-virus software by constantly modifying their malicious code.

"Web 2.0 sites allow users and communities to share links with each other faster and with greater flexibility than ever before - but hackers can also take advantage of the rapid exchange of information to spread malware and phishing threats," said Rainer Gawlick, Chief Marketing Officer at Sophos. "bit.ly is showing it is a responsible member of the internet community by looking to Sophos and other security specialists to better protect its huge user base."

To Purchase Sophos Products visit http://enterpriseav.com/

Sophos CEO Steve Munford named one of 2009's Top 100 Most Influential Executives

IT security and data protection firm Sophos today announced that Sophos CEO Steve Munford was named as one of 2009's 100 Top Most Influential Executives in the Industry by Everything Channel’s CRN.

Sophos has been recognized by both the channel community and the media for its Partner Program commitment and for its feature-rich, simple to manage security and data protection solutions.

Achieving significant results and positive partner response, Sophos launched its first-ever Global Partner Program in April 2009, which was based on the highly successful North American Channel Partner Program launched two years ago. For fiscal year 2009, revenue growth for North American Sophos channel partners increased 43%. According to Sophos partners, revenues based on Sophos sales well exceeded industry averages and Sophos was often their highest-growth security vendor partnership.

Working intimately with partners, Sophos has created a truly successful co-selling program by effectively collaborating on initial customer engagements and evaluations on through to post-sales support and service.

Sophos is fostering channel success through:

* offering competitive margins – with an emphasis on ensuring bottom-line margin preservation

* deal protection programs

* customized marketing campaigns

* personalized online training and certification programs

* streamlining sales processes via an automated online pricing, quoting, and ordering system from a single portal

* providing more technical support assistance

The Top 100 Most Influential Executives in the Industry listing recognizes the executives who have changed the way the channel does business today and in the future. This year’s list salutes the 25 Most Influential Executives – individuals who are focused on innovation, as well as consistency and those overcoming remarkable challenges; the 25 Channel Sales Leaders – hard charging executives who are driving their indirect organization and partners forward with sales and marketing initiatives; the 25 Most Innovative Executives - individuals who exude innovation from either a technology or business strategy front; and the 25 Mavericks - executives whose brash and bold thinking is changing the rules of the channel.

"Being recognized as one of the most influential executives in the industry by CRN’s editors is an honor,” said Steve Munford, CEO at Sophos. “Over the past year, Sophos made further investments in the channel and continued to diversify its security and data protection product portfolio, which helped expand Sophos’s corporate footprint and customer traction in the North American market via our partners. Our channel partners are an extension of our company and an essential part of our overall growth. If our partners succeed, we succeed."

"With so many innovative channel executives in the industry today we’ve expanded our list to include 100 executives. We’ve highlighted the most influential, the sales leaders, the most innovative as well as those who have changed the rules of the channel. We salute these leaders for their hard work and devotion to the technology channel," said Robert C. DeMarzo, senior vice president and editorial director, Everything Channel.

The Top 100 Most Influential Executives in the Industry were selected by the editors of CRN.

Winners were announced in the November 30 issue of CRN. To read about the Top 100 Most Influential Executives in the Industry, go to www.channelweb.com.

To Purchase Sophos Products visit http://enterpriseav.com/

Tiger Woods car accident exploited by hackers

IT security and data protection firm is warning computer users keen to read the latest developments in the story about the Tiger Woods car accident that they may be walking straight into a trap set by hackers.

Sophos discovered that hackers were not slow to take advantage of the breaking news story, and by early Saturday morning had created webpages which claimed to contain video footage related to the incident, but that were really designed to spread dangerous malware. By using content related to the top golfer's mysterious car accident and his alleged relationship with New York party girl Rachel Uchitel, the cybercriminals have made their attack timely and ensured that it will feature high up in search engine results, increasing the chances of unsuspecting victims visiting the site.

"The Tiger Woods story has been one of the top news stories around the world this weekend, and search engine statistics show that many people have been hunting for developments via the web. Hackers don't waste any time jumping on the coat-tails of a hot news story like this, in their attempt to infect as many computer users as possible," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos. "Foolhardy internet users who believe they are about to watch video footage related to Tiger Woods's current troubles may find the website is trying to surreptitiously install a Trojan horse onto their computer, handing control over to cybercriminals."

Sophos notes that if computer users do visit the poisoned webpages, a malicious Trojan horse known as Troj/Proxy-JN can be installed on their computers, allowing hackers to relay spam via the victim's PC without their knowledge.

"This is a threat both for home users and companies. Many people may return from the weekend and use their office PCs to find out the latest news this morning - only to have their computers silently infected," continued Cluley.

To Purchase Sophos Products visit http://enterpriseav.com/