Authentic8 Enhances Flagship Product Silo to Help Users Deal With the Continuing Complexity of Heartbleed

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA--(Marketwired - Apr 24, 2014) - Authentic8, maker of Silo, the cloud-based secure browser, has integrated enhancements to detect and block websites that are vulnerable to Heartbleed, and to keep checking until the vulnerability has been fixed and users are safe to login and change their password.

The Heartbleed bug, discovered earlier this month, is arguably the most significant vulnerability to have impacted the underlying security of the Internet. The widespread use of the open source OpenSSL technology by websites across the globe has resulted in the exposure of millions of users' sensitive data. The Heartbleed bug opens a hole in the secure connection between a user's machine and an affected website. By exploiting this hole, hackers have had the opportunity to steal personal information such passwords, as well as highly sensitive SSL certificates that verify and secure the connection between a user and a website.

Not surprisingly, security teams have been scrambling to plug the hole in their websites and provide digestible and actionable advice to users. Many service providers have done a tremendous job in patching, sharing information and getting in front of the problem. Nonetheless, given the number of websites that are affected, and the conflicting and sometimes misleading advice being dispensed by many, average users have been overwhelmed.

To address this problem, Authentic8 Silo has released a set of enhancements that will perform the necessary steps to validate sites and inform users. "People have been told to change their passwords, but only after a website has first applied the latest OpenSSL patch and then re-issued their certificate. For most of us, those steps are hard to understand let alone follow," said Ramesh Rajagopal, co-founder and President at Authentic8. "A core benefit of Silo is that the browser runs in the cloud, allowing security and policy controls to be delivered centrally regardless of the user's device. In that sense, what we've done to monitor for Heartbleed is just another example of the managed protection that we deliver our customers everyday."

"I read about Heartbleed, but since I'm a small business owner without an IT person, I didn't have the ability to respond as I should," said John Dwyer of Dwyer Construction. "My most important accounts are with Silo, so when I learned that they were proactively checking for risks, it was a big relief."

As of today, consumers using Silo for Individuals as well as business customers using Silo for Teams will be protected by these Heartbeat enhancements. Both are available now at www.authentic8.com.

About Authentic8
Founded in 2010 by principals from Postini, Authentic8 is redefining how the browser is used to access sensitive web data. Silo, our flagship product, is a cloud-based secure browser. Silo secures access to sensitive sites, creating an insulation layer between the computer and the web service. Silo helps manage login credentials, access controls and data use policies. Silo is built fresh at session start, and destroyed at session end, ensuring that users remain secure, compliant and anonymous online. Try Silo risk free at www.authentic8.com.