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Blue Coat Integrates Sophos True File Type Detection to Expand Malware Detection and Policy Enforcement Capabilities

ProxyAV Appliances Utilize the Latest Sophos Threat Engine to Detect Masquerading Files

SUNNYVALE, Calif., February 11, 2009 – Blue Coat Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: BCSI), the technology leader in Application Delivery Networking, today announced that Blue Coat® ProxyAV™ appliances now support true file type detection from IT security and control firm Sophos, a Blue Coat Technology Integration Partner. With true file type detection, Blue Coat ProxyAV appliances provide comprehensive detection of Web threats in compressed attachments that are masquerading as other files at the Internet gateway.

ProxyAV appliances complement Blue Coat® ProxySG® appliances to provide distributed enterprises with scalable malware detection at the Internet gateway. Blue Coat ProxySG appliances already support true file type detection for uncompressed attachments to determine if the masquerading file is malware, spyware or some other malicious threat. If there is a true file type discrepancy, where the file is not what it claims to be, ProxySG appliances can block or allow the file according to established corporate IT policies. For compressed files, such as those using .zip or .tar formats, ProxySG appliances hand the scanning task off to Blue Coat ProxyAV appliances for in-depth threat analysis and malware detection. Using the new Sophos true file type detection feature, ProxyAV appliances can detect a file failure within the compressed file and feed that information back to ProxySG appliances for policy enforcement.

“While threat detection engines block all known malware, true file type detection closes a well known loophole to hackers attempting to infiltrate corporate networks,” said Dave Asprey, vice president of technology and corporate development at Blue Coat Systems. “By enabling detection and consistent policy enforcement across all types of traffic and attachments, the Blue Coat and Sophos solution provides a layered security approach that protects businesses from increasingly sophisticated malware threats.”

Blue Coat and Sophos have been working together through an OEM relationship for more than four years, providing integrated defense against malware, spyware, intrusions and other malicious threats at the Internet gateway. Additionally, Sophos is now a member of the Blue Coat Technology Integration Partner program. Together, Blue Coat and Sophos provide a solution that offers enterprises real-time protection and control against emerging and evolving Web-based threats.

In the joint solution, Blue Coat ProxyAV appliances support the Sophos anti-virus engine, which utilizes Behavioral Genotype Technology to proactively protect against evolving malware. By recognizing the genome of a particular threat, Sophos can proactively block mutated or altered versions of that threat without having to wait for updated signatures. This intelligent recognition of mutated threats not only reduces memory dedicated to signatures but also provides proactive protection against a rapidly evolving landscape.

“With the ability to understand the DNA of a specific malware threat and utilize existing signatures to protect against genetic cousins, Sophos proactively protects enterprises, eliminating potential security gaps that could expose assets and compromise productivity,” said Michael Rogers, vice president, global alliances and OEM at Sophos. “This powerful functionality complements the scalability of Blue Coat ProxyAV appliances to provide enterprises with malware protection at the Internet gateway.”

To provide comprehensive protection against Web-based malware threats, Blue Coat ProxySGappliances work in conjunction with Blue Coat WebFilter and the Blue Coat WebPulse™ community watch cloud service. ProxyAV appliances provide scalable inline malware detection with the Sophos anti-virus engine. This hybrid approach of a community watch cloud with inline detection protects corporate networks and allows enterprises to inspect traffic, including SSL-encrypted traffic and compressed and uncompressed attachments, and consistently apply corporate IT policies.

The Blue Coat Technology Integration Partner Program is designed to provide solutions that help organizations build a flexible and scalable application infrastructure. By partnering with best-of-breed vendors to deliver interoperable solutions, Blue Coat offers customers a wide range of options for comprehensive Secure Web Gateway and WAN optimization deployments.

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