ForeScout: A start-up to watch

Error 404--Not Found

From RFC 2068 Hypertext Transfer Protocol -- HTTP/1.1:

10.4.5 404 Not Found

The server has not found anything matching the Request-URI. No indication is given of whether the condition is temporary or permanent.

If the server does not wish to make this information available to the client, the status code 403 (Forbidden) can be used instead. The 410 (Gone) status code SHOULD be used if the server knows, through some internally configurable mechanism, that an old resource is permanently unavailable and has no forwarding address.

Error 404--Not Found

From RFC 2068 Hypertext Transfer Protocol -- HTTP/1.1:

10.4.5 404 Not Found

The server has not found anything matching the Request-URI. No indication is given of whether the condition is temporary or permanent.

By Ann Bednarz
Network World, 04/29/02

Boingo Wireless

Egenera

ForeScout Technologies

Grand Central Communications

Virtela Communications

How last year's picks are faring

Company name: Combines "fore" and "scout" to emphasize that its technology is proactive, taking security actions before an attack.

Origin: Founded in April 2000 by four Israeli entrepreneurs.

Funding: A $12 million second round closed in August 2001, bringing the total to $14 million.

Key investors: Accel Partners and Pitango Venture Capital.

CEO: Co-founder Hezy Yeshurun is acting CEO.

Product: ActiveScout perimeter defense system.

Counterintelligence is ForeScout's forte. The company's debut product, ActiveScout, sits on a server outside the firewall and monitors incoming network traffic. Specifically it watches for suspicious behavior in the form of reconnaissance probes, such as port scans that attackers often use prehack to gather information about system configurations or users. When ActiveScout identifies what appears to be a hacker scanning for network vulnerabilities, the Linux-based software feeds the suspected attacker bogus tagged data, such as usernames and passwords. If a hacker tries to send traffic based on the false network data, ActiveScout immediately blocks it.

ForeScout says its technology will reduce the number of false alarms that network managers have to chase down because the software only reacts when the bogus data is presented. Plus, because it works by identifying reconnaissance probes, ActiveScout doesn't require constant signature file updates for new viruses and hacking exploits as do typical antivirus and intrusion-detection products. Still, ForeScout faces the challenge of convincing enterprise security managers that they need this new kind of tool. ActiveScout doesn't replace firewall or intrusion-detection systems but supplements and integrates with them.

ForeScout, in San Mateo, Calif., wouldn't say how many customers it has, but named Akamai Technologies, Check Point Software and Risk Management Solutions among them. ActiveScout has been shipping since February at a starting price of $9,000.