Bluefire Mobile Defender combines a network-grade stateful firewall with behavioral anti-virus, spam blocking and other features that provide multi-layered protection without requiring user authentication, encryption or server-based updates that are impractical for mass market deployments. The software can be embedded, bundled or offered as a downloadable upgrade to mobile devices or services, providing a full range of implementation options.

The platform gives partner licensees a strategy for differentiating their products and services, generating incremental revenues from security upcharges, and reducing malware- and other security-related customer service calls. It also provides an opportunity to create new revenue streams from enterprise customers that do not require an advanced mobile security solution with authentication, logging and policy control.

"Mobile security threats are no longer limited to the enterprise, yet until now mobile security solution providers including ourselves have focused exclusively on the enterprise market," said Mark Komisky, Bluefire CEO. "Bluefire Mobile Defender extends mobile protection to the tens of millions of personal, business and converged users who are hopping on the mobile Internet, providing an easy-to-deploy safety net that runs in the background without the need for user intervention or technical knowledge."

Today, according to IDC, 80% of smartphones and wireless devices are purchased by consumers rather than corporations or government agencies. Frequently these devices are used for both personal and business purposes. At the same time, expanded mobile functionality has provided more opportunity for malware, malicious attacks and data theft as users send and receive email, view news and traffic reports, download files such as games and ringtones, upload photos to their preferred photo storage or social networking sites, and in some cases access business applications from their handhelds.

Building on Bluefires experience in delivering enterprise-grade mobile and wireless security solutions to the enterprise market, Bluefire Mobile Defender provides a comprehensive software suite that combats vulnerabilities including mobile spam sent by text messaging, viruses carried in corrupt email attachments, and theft of private information such as bank account numbers and passwords caused by hacking or physical loss of the device. Components include:

  --  A dynamic stateful firewall that allows users to safely browse and

      download web-based applications without touching security settings;

      intelligently filters inbound and outbound traffic; and blocks

      spoofing and redirection, unauthorized connections and hijacking, and

      malware-generated networking and data transfers from the device.

  --  Behavioral anti-virus that prevents specific behaviors such as worm or

      virus propagation on a device infected by viruses or malware. The

      Bluefire platform also quarantines malicious code and deletes it where

      possible without requiring storage space for large signature libraries

      or bandwidth for constant updates.

  --  Application blocking and integrity monitoring that protect the mobile

      device against malicious applications distributed through text

      messages, email attachments or websites, including those that allow

      hackers to pilfer personal information from the handheld. These

      features also protect core OEM assets from attack or tampering.

  --  Intrusion prevention that scans inbound network packets to identify

      and block multi-packet attacks as well as other malicious intrusions.

  --  SMS/MMS spam blocking that permits users to set allowed messages by

      user and caller ID. This whitelist/blacklist approach protects users

      from unwanted messages and associated messaging charges.

  --  Remote device wipe that prevents identity theft by erasing all

      user-identifiable data on the device, including call history, web

      browser history, contacts, text messages, picture, audio and video,

      with an SMS command sent by the end user from a website or a different

      mobile device.

For more information, please send your e-mails to swm@infothe.com.

ⓒ2007 www.SecurityWorldMag.com. All rights reserved.