Acunetix puts a stop to identity theft in Universities

Released on = January 10, 2007, 5:59 am

Press Release Author = Tamara Borg

Industry = Software

Press Release Summary = American Universities and Non-Profit-Organizations to
benefit from a Free Website Security Audit offered by Acunetix.

Press Release Body = Kirkland, Washington - January 10, 2007 - Institutions for
higher education and Not-For-Profit Organizations are experiencing a surge in
attempts aimed at hacking their data. The more recent known examples were
perpetrated against UCLA, the University of Texas, and Mississippi State University.
Acunetix, a leading vendor of web application security solutions, is offering all
American Universities and Not-for-profit Organizations a complimentary website audit
through its recently launched service, Acunetix SiteAudit.

Last month, a hacker infiltrated a massive database from the University of
California, Los Angeles, containing personal information (including social security
numbers, dates of birth, home addresses and contact information) on 800,000 people
in one of the worst computer breaches ever at a US university.

"There is a general lack of awareness about web application security," stated K. J.
Vella, VP Sales and Operations at Acunetix. "Organizations, in general, do not
realize if your web apps are weak, hackers will find a way to get in and steal your
data. What makes the situation worse is that you'll never know they've been in.
Hackers will not leave a trail, your data will still remain there but a copy of it
resides in its entirety elsewhere either for immediate sale or for later use."
"Buyers could use the data to fraudulently apply for cell phones, credit cards or to
launch cyber terrorist attacks. Whichever the aim, organizations are duty-bound to
protect the data entrusted them," explained Vella.

University systems are usually highly decentralized which makes it hard to ensure
tight security. Furthermore, Not-for-profit organizations might not have the
in-house expertise needed to run auditing software efficiently and effectively, nor
want to maintain in-house testing since this adds to overhead.

Acunetix is, therefore, offering the possibility of having their website audited at
no cost.

"SiteAudit normally retails for $395. We are now offering Universities and
Not-for-Profit Organizations the opportunity to get their website and web
applications checked by one of the leading solutions found on the market place today
for free. Our web security experts will audit a website and issue a full report,"
explained Vella.

About Acunetix SiteAudit

Acunetix SiteAudit is performed by Acunetix's web security experts using Acunetix
Web Vulnerability Scanner. Acunetix SiteAudit:

* Provides an immediate and comprehensive website security audit
* Ensures website is secure against web attacks
* Checks for SQL injection, Cross site scripting and other vulnerabilities
* Audits shopping carts, forms, and dynamic content
* Scans entire website and web applications including Javascript / AJAX applications
for security vulnerabilities.

More information about Acunetix SiteAudit is available at:
http://www.acunetix.com/site-audit/.

How to apply

Universities and Non-Profit-Organizations can apply for a free site audit by
visiting http://www.acunetix.com/site-audit/us-universities.htm or by sending an
email to siteaudit@acunetix.com, including general contact details and website URL.

About Acunetix
Acunetix was founded to combat the alarming rise in web attacks. Its flagship
product, Acunetix Web Vulnerability Scanner, is the result of several years of
development by a team of highly experienced security developers. Acunetix is a
privately held company with headquarters based in Europe (Malta), a US office in
Seattle, Washington and an office in London, UK. For more information about
Acunetix, visit: http://www.acunetix.com; http://www.acunetix.de.

All product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.




Web Site = http://www.acunetix.com

Contact Details = For more information:
Please email Tamara Borg: tamara@acunetix.com
Acunetix Ltd: Tel: 888-231-6801, Fax: (+1) 425-650-6873

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