Functions Performed By IM Management Systems
To mitigate risks and satisfy the need to reduce liability and adhere to regulation, companies and government agencies install IM management systems. Examples of leading companies providing IM management products or hosted services include Akonix, Brosix, CSC, FaceTime Communications, Global Relay, ScanSafe, Surfcontrol, and Symantec. All of the leading products and services perform the following functions:
(1) Antivirus scanning of IM attached files, utilizing antivirus software.
(2) Identification of typical "signature" strings in hostile IM messages that use social engineering (security) to fool the recipient into clicking a poison URL, which in turn, downloads malware to the unsuspecting recipient's computer.
(3) Filtering of content within messages, typically scanning for keywords and regular expression phrases (e.g. the phrase "hot stock tip" might trigger a security alert if found in a message sent by an employee at a stock brokerage. Likewise a string of numerals in the format xxx-yy-nnnn, might trigger a block or alert due to the likelihood that it is a Social Security number.) IM managers also typically block the transmission of the seven dirty words.
(4) Archiving of IM chats according to organizational policy. Archiving of IM is typically integrated with email archiving systems that provide for effective storage, retrieval, indexing, and destruction of electronic messages.
The emergence of IM as a legitimate, productivity-enhancing communications medium in business is a relatively recent trend. As a result, IM management systems are only utilized in an estimated 10% to 25% of companies (with some estimates being even grimmer, such as the 2007 study by industry analyst The Burton Group, which found IM policy in only 10% and IM security in only 5% of organizations surveyed), while IM is estimated to be used by employees in 85% to 90% of companies. The gap between the need for protection and the implementation of protection is a significant concern, as over 1300 attacks using IM networks to deliver malware have been identified by security companies and tracked at the IM Security Center as of the middle of 2008.
Read more about this topic: Instant Messaging Manager
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