F5 Networks, Secure Computing bring reputation filtering to the edge

F5 Networks and Secure Computing on Monday announced plans to deliver a reputation-based security module they say will let organizations eliminate as much as 70 % of unwanted e-mail from untrustworthy senders.

Slated for release in January, the Big-IP Message Security Module will integrate reputation data from Secure Computing’s TrustedSource identity reputation service into F5’s application delivery device. (Secure Computing added TrustedSource to its portfolio of security products with its acquisition of CipherTrust earlier this fall.) The module will let organizations eliminate unwanted e-mail dropping connections from sources that TrustedSource deems invalid, before those messages get through the corporate firewall, according to company officials.

The TrustedSource reputation system analyzes IP addresses, domains and URLs to determine if they represent valid senders and destinations, according to officials. By rejecting a significant amount of unwanted e-mail before it enters the network, the new module enhances Big-IP’s ability to reduce the load of second-tier spam inspection and cuts down on the number of devices an organization requires, officials say.

The new module for Big-IP runs on F5’s TMOS architecture, and therefore is easy to deploy even in existing Big-IP Version 9.x systems, they say.

Pricing for the Big-IP Message Security Module has not been announced.