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Akonix Highlights 2007 IM Trends

Publishes December Threat Report, noting increase in threat sophistication and malicious intent

San Diego, CA - January 02, 2008

San Diego, CA - January 2, 2008 - Akonix Systems, Inc., a provider of policy, compliance and risk management products for real-time communications, today announced its IM Security Center researchers tracked 18 new malicious code attacks over instant messaging (IM) networks this month, bringing the 2007 total to 346. This year also marked the first prosecution of its kind in the US, punishable by $1.75 million in fines and nearly 60 years in prison, against a computer security consultant for using illegal IM botnets to hijack PayPal accounts1.

New IM worms identified in December include Cargar, Etest and YMWorm. Etest, Mytob and Sohana were the most common with two variants each. In addition, attacks on P2P networks, such as Kazaa and eDonkey, increased 125% this month over last, with 27 attacks.

During December, Akonix security analysts issued six new policy updates to protect customers against new malware, using the industry's only dynamic IM malware, spim and protocol update system. Akonix Security Update Services automatically push updates to block spyware, worms and viruses. Akonix customers were secure on day zero from each new threat with the in-depth protection and containment features of Akonix's 360° Security for Real-Time Communications(tm).

The Akonix IM Security Center is a collaborative effort between Akonix and industry-leading partners in IM infrastructure and security. It focuses on emerging security threats posed by IM and P2P applications in the corporate environment, and is the foundation of 360° Security. Detailed information about the December 2007 IM Threat Report and historical threat data going back to 2000 can be found at www.imsecuritycenter.com.

For more information on how 360° Security from Akonix secures networks against the risks of unmanaged IM and P2P use, please visit www.akonix.com/360, call 619 615 9415 or email sales@akonix.com. Companies interested in putting Akonix products to work protecting their networks can receive a free 30-day evaluation of A6000 and A1000 IM security appliances at eval.akonix.com.

1 http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/cac/news/pr2007/143.html

Executive quote

"2007 marked an increase in the complexity and harmful design of IM trojans and viruses," said Don Montgomery, VP of marketing at Akonix. "We are continuing to see hackers use this popular medium to steal private data from which they can profit. In addition, the increasing adoption of unified communications in 2008 will introduce new corporate vulnerabilities and liabilities, including the number of entry points that can be compromised. Businesses need to make sure they put instant messaging on their management, compliance and security checklists in 2008."

About the company

About Akonix
Akonix is the most deployed IM security and compliance product in the world, enabling companies of all sizes to install productive, enterprise-wide IM that is secure, compliant and managed.

Over 1.9 million people around the world rely on Akonix's products to protect their networks and meet compliance requirements. With more than 20 patent applications, Akonix's 360° Security provides the industry's only automatically-updated protection to block viruses and malware for both enterprise and public IM systems. Akonix is a Gold Certified Partner in the Microsoft Partner Program, an IBM Business Partner, an Intel Software Partner and an HP Business Partner. The company is licensed and certified by America Online(r), Microsoft and Yahoo! to inspect and archive IM traffic. Furthermore, Akonix has developed business alliances and integrated its technology with leading enterprise IM platforms, including Reuters, Microsoft, IBM, Jabber, Inc., and Bloomberg, and message archiving products from EMC, HP, Symantec, Iron Mountain, ZANTAZ, Intradyn, C2C, Fortiva, Quest Software, and others.

An IM industry first, the Akonix IM Security Center (www.imsecuritycenter.com) provides real-time information about worms, viruses and other vulnerabilities that target IM and P2P networks. The company issues monthly and quarterly IM threat watch reports to track key trends and vulnerabilities.

For further information on the company, please visit www.akonix.com.

Contact details

Amy White / Aida Causevic

LEWIS PR for Akonix

Tel: 619 677 2700

akonix@lewispr.com

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