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Press

News - 1 August 2007

Webscreen Selected to Help Keep European Online Gambling Giant Open for Business

Webscreen Systems Ltd., the Leeds based specialist security software company, has been selected to provide its network availability technology to protect one of Europe's largest online gaming companies from the threat of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack. The technology was chosen by the Malta based IT company, Tain Operations, for installation at its European data centre where the gaming site is hosted.

The decision to look for a permanent solution to the threat was prompted following a particularly serious attack which was absorbing a large proportion of the company's human and technical resources in order to keep their client's Web site active. The HTTP flood attack involved was coming from thousands of compromised computers from various parts of the world, particularly the Far East and was causing serious problems for the gaming site's customers, in being able to gain access to the different betting options on offer, with a resultant serious potential loss of revenue.

Before deciding to go for the Webscreen option Tain Operations looked at a variety of alternative solutions including hosted filtering services which could meet some of their requirements but were not able to meet the performance, granularity or price-point of the WS 1000 appliance, which was eventually selected.

Alistair Nield, Webscreen's VP of Sales commented "The problem that was facing Tain Operations and their customer is one which increasing numbers of online businesses are now experiencing. As recent high profile cases have shown the criminal fraternity are very active in trying to exploit this inherent vulnerability of the World Wide Web, not just for commercial gain but also for quasi-political objectives. In the past, security managers may have been able to cope by using some of their existing network defence system capability but as Tain Operations discovered a more sophisticated and permanent solution is now required. The fact that Webscreen is protecting many of their client's competitor Web sites was a major factor in their decision and we are delighted to have been able to use this experience to quickly mitigate the problem in this case as well."

Speaking for Tain Operations, Iain Sims said" Whilst the particular attack had stopped before we were able to get the WS 1000 appliance installed the system has already proved its worth in preventing subsequent attacks from succeeding without stretching our internal resources. Whilst we cannot afford to be complacent one of the major benefits of choosing the Webscreen solution is that in future we can be very confident that we can maintain our client's system availability despite the attackers' best efforts to stop them from operating."

Webscreen is a Leeds based company that is rapidly developing a global reputation in the network availability sector. Based on its unique Guarantee of Service (GoS) technology the company has acquired a world wide customer base including international telco organisations, media companies, online brands, and government departments. The company has recently expanded its operation by signing strategic distribution agreements in the US and Far East as well as with major network security technology vendors. With an ongoing programme of product development Webscreen is aiming to become the major worldwide force in GoS and DDoS mitigation technology. ENDS

For more information contact Stephen Meredith or Alistair Nield on +44 (0) 870 389 0022 or visit www.webscreen-technology.com

About Webscreen Technology

Webscreen is the world's most advanced defence against Network Integrity attacks. Using its patented CHARM technology, the WS1000 will ensure that genuine users of the website always have access while attack traffic is dropped. Unlike conventional IPS systems, Webscreen uses heuristic algorithms to detect Network Integrity attacks. Webscreen looks at the nature of the access rather than their exact signature, so an update is not required every time a new Network Integrity attack tool is developed. Webscreen is installed inline, between the DMZ containing an organization's web servers and its connection to the Internet backbone. Typically the Webscreen device will be installed in front of any fire walls, load balancers or bandwidth shapers so that it can protect them from denial of service, high traffic overloads, and other problems which may result in denial of service.

About Tain Operations

Tain Operations is a leading provider of services and support to online gaming providers. Based in Europe on the island of Malta, Tain Operations provides tailored end-to-end solutions to a wide spectrum of Internet gaming companies operating in the global market.

For more information visit: http://www.tainops.com/

About DDoS

Denial of Service (DDoS) attack is now a major threat to many Internet based businesses and online gambling sites in particular and can result in serious financial losses as well as long term damage to corporate reputations. Involving thousands of hijacked computers, Botnets, located across the globe are used to flood a target Web site's connections table to the point that legitimate users will be unable to get access. DDoS is a growing weapon of choice used by organised cyber criminals to extort money from businesses that rely on the Internet to operate. Typically the people behind the attack will demand large amounts of money in return for agreeing to switch it off. Often the victims will agree to pay to avoid the more serious financial losses that could occur due to lengthy downtime and are also reluctant to publicise the attack to protect their brand and corporate reputations.