nCircle Announces Support for IPv6 Detection


nCircle's detection of IPv6 enabled devices accelerates preparation for a secure, cost-effective transition to next-generation IPv6 networks

SAN FRANCISCO, June 19 - nCircle, the leading provider of agentless security risk and compliance management solutions, today announced detection of Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) on Windows, Linux and UNIX devices. nCircle's detection of IPv6-enabled and IPv6-capable devices on existing IPv4 networks enables government agencies, service providers and enterprise customers to maintain the highest levels of proactive network security in their preparations for a smooth and secure migration to IPv6 networks. IPv6 is the next-generation Internet protocol that will gradually replace the current version, IPv4.

The US federal government's mandate to deploy IPv6 across all agencies by June 2008 and increasing need worldwide for Internet connectivity continue to drive demand towards a unified, future-proof IP infrastructure. IPv6 was designed to eliminate the IP address space limitations of IPv4 and improve network performance through routing advances. However, IPv6 can also introduce a whole new set of security threats to the network that might go undetected by security administrators without proper discovery tools.

Many popular operating systems already support IPv6 by default. In contrast, very few security solutions have comprehensive support for the advanced protocol, limiting the ability to filter and detect IPv6 traffic accurately. Additionally, improperly configured security solutions may simply ignore a security threat hidden inside IPv6 traffic, putting the entire network at risk. Furthermore, compromised IPv6 devices are able to erroneously broadcast themselves as routers, exposing the entire internal network to unauthorized access from within the organization as well as over the Internet. Organizations need a solution that accurately detects every IPv6-capable device to maintain the highest levels of security as they prepare to migrate their IPv4 networks to IPv6.

nCircle now automatically detects and inventories Windows, Linux and UNIX hosts with IPv6 capabilities with unprecedented accuracy. This helps administrators to identify at-risk IPv6 hosts on their existing IPv4 networks, gather unparalleled security risk information about them, and intelligently prioritize remediation efforts to maintain the highest levels of security while ensuring a smooth and secure transition to next generation IPv6 networks.

"There is nothing more important to our customers than knowing what is on their networks so they can make fully-informed decisions," said Sheldon Malm, Director of Security Research & Development, nCircle VERT. "nCircle's support for IPv6 detection today enables customers to prepare for a successful migration to IPv6 tomorrow."

nCircle solutions utilize an ever-growing library of operating system, application, configuration and vulnerability checks developed by nCircle VERT (Vulnerability and Exposure Research Team). nCircle VERT is widely recognized as the world leader in researching and producing the most accurate and least-intrusive agentless discovery in the industry. Additionally, nCircle offers the industry's only 24-hour SLA to deliver vulnerability checks within 24 hours for all Microsoft Security Advisories. This is especially significant as IPv6 continues to become a big a part of Microsoft's server technology.

"Continuing our history of market leadership and technological innovation, nCircle delivers practical, robust security for advanced networking protocols," said Tim Keanini, Chief Technology Office, nCircle. "By supporting IPv6, nCircle enables customers to leverage their investment in our solutions across their entire IPv4 infrastructures to proactively set the stage for migration to IPv6."

About nCircle

nCircle is the leading provider of agentless security risk and compliance management solutions. More than 3,500 enterprises, government agencies and service providers around the world rely on nCircle's proactive security solutions to identify, measure, manage and reduce security risk and automate compliance on their networks. nCircle has won numerous awards for growth, innovation and technology leadership and has been ranked among the top 100 best places to work in the San Francisco Bay Area. nCircle is headquartered in San Francisco, CA, with regional offices throughout the USA and in London, Toronto and Tokyo. Additional information about nCircle is available at ncircle.com/

Source: nCircle

CONTACT: Shelley Boose of Shev Rush PR, +1-408-398-6987

Web site: ncircle.com

All Topics