Everything Old is New Again

When the web started out it was quickly recognized that there was a need to protect and secure the web space as well as expand the capacity of the web. The proxy quickly became the source of that expansion capacity as a web cache, and working in tandem with the corporate firewall, providing the security that IT administrators were looking for in logging and controlling access to the internet.

The focus of security quickly shifted from the web proxy to email in the new millennium, as viruses and worms were quickly propagated using email transmission. Edge email gateways became the hot product and Ciphertrust and Ironport became the "in" products to have.

As hackers start to realize that organizations have the email problem mostly in-hand, the threat vector has started to shift back to the web again. We're seeing more and more "drive-by" downloads of spyware and viruses on web pages, even well known and reputable web sites.

While the proxy may trigger up memories of days gone by, it's going to take its place in days to come as well. The proxy is ideally suited to handle web threats, and every organization needs to start taking threats from the web seriously, as seriously as e-mail borne viruses if not more seriously, as few end-users today consider the web a source of threats.