NEWT is a new freeware filter from Avinti, designed to stop new blended threat email attacks from reaching your mailbox.

Increasingly, hackers are using web-based malware attacks to launch their attacks on end user systems. By using spam and targeted emails that include embedded URLs or IP address links, these attacks link users to web-based malware, bypassing traditional antivirus and web-filters to infect computers with little intervention. A recent study by Computer Economics shows that 22% of all malware attacks now come from the web, second only to email-based attacks.

Recent blended threat attacks have resulted in high malware infection levels. Preventing blended threat emails from reaching users stops these attacks. However, no product on the market has been effective at stopping these attacks until now.

NEWT is a new Freeware filter from Avinti designed to stop blended threat attacks. NEWT stands for Neutralize Email-Web Threats, blocking web-based malware attacks from reaching users systems. It uses Avinti’s knowledge of known malware distributing websites to stop email-based attacks from getting through. NEWT plugs into the most popular MTAs (Mail Transfer Agents) including SendMail, and Postfix (Exim is coming soon) and is easy to install, use, and monitor.

What are Blended Threats?

E-mail blended threats use e-mail as the initial vehicle to launch the attack, without relying on attaching or embedding a virus to the e-mail itself. Examples include the use of URLs in the e-mail to link the user to Web sites where malware is downloaded in the background, often without user intervention. These attacks are frequently missed by gateway anti-virus products looking for malware attachments, and which have no ability to view the links and active content in the context of an end user. They are also missed by corporate Web filters that may not block URLs linked to malware and are missed by filters that have not been alerted to or rated a hacker’s newly-constructed or rapidly address changing Web site. Because these attacks are fast moving they also avoid desktop anti-virus signature detection.

Examples of recent blended threat attacks can be found on our Blended Threats Forum. More information on blended threats is available in our blended threats whitepaper (coming soon). Click here to read more about Blended Threats.

Increased Protection From New Threats

New web-based attacks are beyond the reach of traditional antivirus products and web filters. Because these attacks don’t use attachments, they easily pass by antivirus gateways. In addition, the websites used for these malware attacks are created to avoid detection from most web filtering techniques, allowing hackers to infect users without detection.

Because Avinti is looking for and detecting new attacks as they are launched in email, it is able to quickly validate malware sites and block them, providing the most up-to-date protection from these new attacks.

Simple to Use

NEWT plugs into your existing email server as a filter, so there is no need for a separate gateway or server. It works with mail transfer agents such as SendMail, Postfix, and Exim. It requires a simple set up of the filter and setting policies on email remediation.

NEWT is an effective way to stop blended threat emails with no effect on network or email server performance.

Protect your clients from blended attacks today by downloading NEWT. It’s completely free. Still want more information on NEWT? Check out our FAQ page.