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AVG Technologies has acquired Sana Security to help battle the growing threat of identity theft. Sana develops behavior software that blocks hackers from taking data in a way similar to the human immune system. AVG said Sana's technology will deliver continuous threat detection using technology already in Symantec's Norton Antibot

Reports of data breaches increased dramatically in 2008, and identity theft is still among the fastest-growing crimes. Security vendors are racing to help consumers and businesses protect themselves, with AVG Technologies making one of the first big moves this year.
AVG, an antivirus and Internet security software provider, has acquired Sana Security to help battle the growing threats. Sana develops behavior-based software that proactively protects against threats in a way similar to the human immune system.

"Sana's unique behavioral software, combined with AVG's existing security technology, will provide the most comprehensive online identity protection in the industry, delivering continuous real-time protection," said J.R. Smith, AVG's CEO. "At the same time, AVG will continue to maintain low-PC-resource utilization for optimal system performance, a critical requirement both for the individual at home and for the business user."

Mimicking the Immune System

Sana's products use advanced behavioral technology to protect user information such as log-ins, passwords and account information, as well as other critical data stored on a computer.

By mimicking the approach used by the human immune system to repel attackers, the software prevents hackers from capturing and transmitting sensitive information from a user's machine.

Sana's technology "learns" normal application behavior by observing the way those applications interact with each other -- their "code paths." Software bugs, user configuration errors, malware infections, and other forms of attack force applications down unexpected code paths. The behavioral technology recognizes this misdirection and eliminates threats before they can affect the user's data.

Understanding the Threat

The need for technologies to guard against identity theft is growing. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, only 2.4 percent of all breaches in 2008 faced encryption or other strong protection methods. Only 8.5 percent of reported breaches faced password protection. As ITRC researchers said, it's obvious that the bulk of breached data was unprotected.

According to a Gartner study, there were 15 million victims of identity theft in 2006. That means every minute about 28.5 people became a new victim, or just more than two seconds per victim. AVG estimates tens of thousands of new computer threats are released every day, including increasingly complex bots, rootkits, spyware and Trojan horses.

Indeed, as the threat landscape evolves with more sophisticated online attacks, AVG said Sana's technology complements its existing portfolio by delivering continuous threat detection and automatic removal of malicious software. According to AVG, Sana's technology helps computer users simplify and streamline protection against identity theft.

A Layered Approach

Is this a breakthrough in identity-theft protection? Symantec already has a product, Norton Antibot, based wholly on Sana's technology, and the implications of AVG's acquisition aren't clear. Symantec wasn't immediately available for comment. In any case, the idea of behavioral technology in security products is nothing new.

"Most of the major anti-malware products already include behavioral-protection technology to some extent or another to augment more 'traditional' detection mechanisms," said Graham Cluley, a senior security consultant at Sophos. "Companies have typically been very reluctant about relying solely on behavior-based malware protection products, so it makes sense to incorporate the approaches alongside one another to boost detection rates."

Sana's personnel, together with its research organization, Sana Labs, will be integrated into AVG and maintain offices in Silicon Valley.

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Yahoo is making a bid for Internet television. The company's Connected TV group unveiled the next generation of technology and services for Internet-connected televisions, along with a slew of partnerships that promise consumers plenty of options.

The first fruits of Yahoo's partnerships with leading consumer electronics manufacturers, which include Samsung, Sony, LG Electronics, and Vizio, is a widget-based user experience that delivers Web content to TVs. The products that tap into Yahoo's Connected TV technology will be available in the spring.

"Yahoo has combined key attributes of the Internet, including openness, community and personalization, with the power Relevant Products/Services of television," said Patrick Barry, vice president of Yahoo's Connected TV division. "By creating this revolutionary new Internet experience and combining our technology with the global distribution of major consumer electronics partners, we enable consumers to access the relevant information and content to enhance their television-watching experience."

Best of Both Worlds :

The manufacturers will make high-definition televisions that tap into the Yahoo Widget Engine. The engine helps consumers find and view online media that matches their interests.

Meanwhile, interactive applications Yahoo is calling TV Widgets will sit at the bottom of the screen, virtually opening the door to Internet services and online media. The widgets allow consumers to access videos from YouTube, do social networking on MySpace, buy and sell on eBay, send messages through Twitter, and use Yahoo's Flickr photo-sharing Web site.

According to Allen Weiner, a research vice president at Gartner, consumers are increasingly looking for a richer TV experience, including the ability to integrate personalized Internet content and interactive experiences.

"Those companies who succeed as leading TV 2.0 portals will be those well positioned to make the connected TV a reality through strong global partnerships, innovative technology, and expertise in creating open platforms," Weiner said. "Developers will have the tools to bring the best of the Internet to TV, thus increasing the amount of Internet-enabled content and services available and ultimately transforming the TV viewing experience for millions of consumers."

Internet TV By the Numbers :

Last year, Forrester Research reported that the number of consumers watching video streamed through a browser nearly doubled since 2007, from 32 percent to 63 percent. What's more, 90 percent of regular prime-time television network programming is now available online.

The numbers are promising, but is Yahoo right on time with its launch? Yahoo has an advantage with an audience that is already familiar with its brand. But a brand alone does not breed success in a competitive market for Internet TV.

According to Greg Sterling, principal analyst at Sterling Market Intelligence, a few factors will play into the success or failure of Yahoo's Web TV initiative: The cost of the TVs, the depth of partnerships, and the experience.

An Undeniable Movement :

"One of the really interesting opportunities for the Internet on TV is social networking," Sterling said. "There's multiplayer gaming right now through the Xbox. People can chat with each other, but there's some interesting opportunities around chat and some other social functions as well as standard content for Internet TV."

Sterling also notes the on-demand momentum that lets consumers view programming when and where they want. Yahoo's Connected TV furthers that trend, he said, giving consumers even more choices and options. Theoretically, he noted, viewers don't have to watch commercials.

"The Internet is definitely coming more and more to TV. You've had streaming and downloading of movies for a little while. It's not mainstream, but it's becoming more common," Sterling said. "That's a clear development that will continue, whether it's through the cable companies or set-top boxes or the Internet relationship."

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On Wednesday, Apple introduced the latest version of its office productivity suite, iWork '09. Introduced at Macworld, the upgrade offers a variety of new features that Apple hopes will make further inroads into the business world.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who is not at the show, said in a statement that the company "continues to demonstrate that innovation is possible in office productivity software," and making presentations, documents and spreadsheets "doesn't need to be complicated."

iWork.com Beta :

As part of the iWork '09 release, Apple introduced a public beta of iWork.com for sharing documents online. The site is free during the beta phase and allows other users to write comments on posted documents and download the documents in either iWork, Microsoft Relevant Products/Services Office, or PDF formats.

Each of the tools in iWork have new features. The presentation tool, Keynote, can automatically animate the position, scale, rotation and opacity of any image, graphic or text on consecutive slides. Apple calls it Magic Move. There are also a variety of other effects that work between slides, including text transitions and the ability to animate an object that goes off one slide and onto another.

Apple is also extending features to its other product lines so that the Keynote Remote application, sold separately, now allows a user to look at slides or presenter notes, or to control the presentation, from an iPhone or iPod touch.

Changes in the Pages application include the ability to see menus, format bar, and page navigator only when needed. Support for MathType 6 makes it easier to deal with equations, and support for EndNote X2 enables additions and editing of bibliographic references. There are also 40 new templates for posters, stationery and other uses.

'A Big Thing' :

Numbers '09 improves formula writing with more than 250 built-in functions, and there are more chart options, such as mixed chart types and two-axis charts. Numbers charts that have been pasted into Pages or Keynote can be updated within the document or presentation.

Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis for consumer technology at the NPD Group, said Apple's bundling of iWork '09, iLife '09, and OS X 10.5 offers productivity and creative tools for its main business target, creative professionals who "don't need all the heft" offered by other packages.

He noted that Apple is not primarily targeting other kinds of businesses, where Microsoft Office is still entrenched.

Laura DiDio, an analyst with Information Technology Intelligence Corps, noted that the integration with iPhone and iPod touch "will be a big thing going forward," since it could greatly expand the business utility of those devices.

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