11 January 2010

Symantec and Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence Experts to Research Online Threats

Brussels – January 11, 2010 – Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC) and the NATO-accredited Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE) in Estonia today announced they have signed a memorandum of understanding  to promote cooperation on the research of online threats.   This joint research project will be based in Tallinn, Estonia, overseen by experts from both organisations.

“The collaboration between our two organisations helps the CCDCOE to further explore the modus operandi of attackers and study threats that attempt to compromise online systems,” explained Colonel Ilmar Tamm, director of CCDCOE.  “This will in turn allow us to enhance the expertise shared with NATO and its member states.”  

Ilias Chantzos, director of government relations at Symantec, said: “Cyber attack threats are real and present and Symantec is pleased to support organisations like NATO and pioneering centres such as CCDCOE and what they are aiming to accomplish. Symantec is at the forefront of global threat intelligence and we’re delighted to collaborate on this research initiative.”
Symantec is deploying its sensor technology that is designed to gather intelligence on malicious Internet-borne activities. The remotely deployable Collector Node can extend the intelligence network to various regions around the world.  By placing these next-generation sensors in high-traffic and sensitive networks, Symantec Security Response is able to gather intelligence on emerging threats and in turn provide customers with better protection and information on threats that may be targeting their systems.

Symantec’s Security Technology and Response (STAR) organisation is a worldwide team of security engineers, threat analysts and researchers that provides the underlying functionality, content and threat expertise for all Symantec corporate and consumer security products.  With response centres located throughout the world, STAR monitors malicious code reports from more than 130 million systems across the Internet, receives data from 240,000 network sensors in more than 200 countries, and tracks more than 32,000 vulnerabilities affecting more than 72,000 technologies from more than 11,000 vendors.  The team uses this vast intelligence to develop and deliver the world’s most comprehensive security protection.

About CCDCOE
CCDCOE is a NATO-accredited multinational organisation dealing with education, consultation, lessons learned, research and development in the field of cyber security. The centre’s mission is to enhance the capability, cooperation and information sharing among NATO, NATO nations and Partners in cyber defence.

About Symantec
Symantec is a global leader in providing security, storage and systems management solutions to help consumers and organizations secure and manage their information-driven world.  More information is available at www.symantec.com.

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