Security Startup Hardens Windows Shells

BBX Technologies Inc., a security startup based in New York, is using the DEMO 2003 conference Tuesday in Scottsdale, Ariz., to unveil a new Windows shell hardening software.

The product, ImmuneEngine, takes a different approach from anti-virus or intrusion detection software (IDS) as it fights off viruses, Trojan horses, worms, spyware, and other unauthorized software installs and modifications, company officials said.

ImmuneEngine does not work off of a list of known threats, but rather monitors Windows system kernels, identifies any unauthorized executables, and prevents their execution or shuts them down if they are running.

The product has been in testing for the last 18 months, has survived 19,000 different types of attacks, and has been approved for use in government agencies by the National Security Agency (NSA), officials said.

“IDS only detects. We stop. Were the final shield,” said Jim Kollegger, president and CEO of BBX Technologies. “The breakthrough technology is we have developed a system that monitors the entire computer in real time.”

As an extra layer of security, the ImmuneEngine system cannot be taken down even if a systems root access has been compromised, officials said. “Its a two-key system,” said John Michener, the companys chief scientist and vice president for business development. “In our version, you cant unload us, kill the task or ignore the system administrator. It requires two individuals to turn off. Root privilege wont bring it down.”

ImmuneEngine, for all 32-bit Windows operating systems, comes in a server version, a workstation version and a “very robust” government, officials said. The server versions run as a system service or an application, they said.

The product is available for workstations starting at $150 and decreases with volume purchases; the server versions start at $1,500 and decreases with volume.

Company Chief Technical Officer and Chairman Robert F. (Bob) Terry invented the technology while working in Lebanon, officials said.