Secure Computing on Wednesday announced a new version of its Webwasher gateway security appliance that adds features designed to help protect users from the new round of security threats introduced by Web 2.0 applications

The upgraded Webwasher appliance features the company’s SecureCache technology, which caches objects on a Web page as well as the results of the most recent virus signature scan for each object, for example. This means Webwasher only has to scan an object the first time it is requested, resulting in better caching performance, according to company officials.

In addition to scanning each object for viruses, Webwasher checks it against its TrustedSource integrated reputation database before delivering it to the user from the cache.

TrustedSource is able to identify and assign reputations to new domains and URLs that don’t yet contain content based on server location, the behavior of related servers, and other non-content factors. Secure Computing says this new feature in TrustedSource helps enterprises protect their networks based on a Web site’s reputation before an exploit is launched.

Other new Web 2.0-based features for Webwasher include Anti-Malware for Web 2.0, the company’s intent analysis technology that works specifically to find new threats based on spyware, zero-day blended threats and targeted attacks.

It also features new administration tools to meet audit and compliance requirements; SafeWord two-factor authentication for access to the appliance’s administration features; and an upgraded SSL Scanner that blocks access to the corporate network from malicious content hidden in SSL-encyrpted traffic, officials say.

The new version of Webwasher, available today, is priced starting at $3,995.