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NCAA March Madness Strains Employee Productivity, Network Bandwidth and Security

Posted on: Wednesday, 28 February 2007, 09:55 CST

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- On the eve of this year's "March Madness," where many hoops fans will stream video of the NCAA Tournament games and engage in sports gambling on their office computers trying to cash in on this year's Cinderella story, Websense, Inc. , today reported a trend among hackers to target major sporting events. This coupled with a 31 percent increase in the number of sports-related Web sites and a 56 percent increase in the number of gambling-related Web sites compared to a year ago leads to a decrease in employee productivity, network bandwidth and computer security.

Websense Internet researchers today reported a: * Trend among hackers to target major sporting events -- Using popular social engineering tactics, hackers are targeting major sporting events' Web sites as their latest attack vector. For example, in February, Websense discovered that the official Web site of the Dolphin Stadium was compromised with malicious code designed to steal private information. In July 2006, hackers setup a fictitious Web site with a Trojan horse that looked like an official FIFA World Cup site. Exploiting fans' interest in Zinedine Zidane's World Cup head butt incident, the site installed malicious code without user intervention. This trend, coupled with the immense popularity of March Madness, presents a risk for organizations that are not protected with security filtering technology. * 31 percent growth in sport-related Web sites -- Since March of 2006, sports-related Web sites have grown 31 percent, increasing from nearly 472,000 to more than 616,000 today, with many offering real-time game scores, player statistics and up-to-the-minute analysis. With the massive number of sports Web sites and streaming games available, mid sized companies can expect to see a considerable drain on employee productivity and network bandwidth during the NCAA Tournament. * 56 percent growth in gambling Web sites -- Since March of 2006, gambling-related Web sites have grown 56 percent, increasing from 76,500 to more than 119,000 today, creating another issue for organizations during high profile sporting events. These gambling Web sites, coupled with the wagering attraction of the 2007 NCAA Tournament, introduce additional productivity issues for organizations that often violate written employee Internet use policies.

For mid-sized organizations, those with around 100 to 1,000 employees, and larger organizations without automated technology to enforce Internet use policies, the result is a decrease in employee productivity, network bandwidth and a potentially serious breach in computer security.

Websense software helps both mid-sized and large organizations balance employee productivity, manage bandwidth usage and bolster security during high profile sporting events, such as the 2007 NCAA Basketball Tournament. Websense software allows organizations to apply flexible policies for employee Internet use, while protecting from bandwidth loss and potential computer security threats.

"March Madness is the highlight of the year for college hoops fans," said Steve Kelley, director of core products, Websense. "Especially for mid-sized companies -- with limited IT resources and bandwidth, proper Internet use policies combined with automated Web and security filtering tools are essential to provides a work-life balance for employees that allows them to still enjoy the tournament but remain productive and secure during work hours."

Tips for Mid-Sized Organizations

Websense experts recommend mid-sized organizations take preemptive action to bolster security and productivity. Websense recommends organizations:

* Establish Internet access policies to serve as guidelines for Internet use. Sample policies are available at http://www.websense.com/global/en/ResourceCenter/InternetPolicies/. * Estimate how much casual Internet surfing could be costing the organization by running the Web Filtering Cost Savings Calculator, available at http://www.websense.com/global/en/ResourceCenter/CostSavingsCalc/. * Use flexible Web filtering software to manage Internet access and block access to Web sites with malicious code. Download a free 30-day trial at http://www.websense.com/. About Websense, Inc.

Websense, Inc. , protects more than 25 million employees from external and internal computer security threats. Using a combination of preemptive ThreatSeeker(TM) malicious content identification and categorization technology and information leak prevention technology, Websense helps make computing safe and productive. Distributed through its global network of channel partners, Websense software helps organizations block malicious code, prevent the loss of confidential information and manage Internet and wireless access. For more information, visit http://www.websense.com/.

Websense and Websense Enterprise are registered trademarks of Websense, Inc. in the United States and certain international markets. Websense has numerous other unregistered trademarks in the United States and internationally. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

MEDIA CONTACT: Cas Purdy Websense, Inc. 858 320 9493 cpurdy@websense.com

Websense, Inc.

CONTACT: Cas Purdy of Websense, Inc., +1-858-320-9493,cpurdy@websense.com

Web site: http://www.websense.com/

Source: PRNewswire-FirstCall

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