GTE Introduces New Service to Detect Weaknesses in Company's Network Security

BURLINGTON, Mass. - GTE Internetworking, today announced a new network perimeter vulnerability scanning service that can helps businesses strengthen their network security by proactively looking for potential weaknesses and generating recommendations on how to best fix them.

According to a March 1998 Computer Security Institute/FBI Computer Crimes Survey, the Internet was the source of 54% of attacks on networks reported by 520 IS security managers. To challenge these attacks, GTE Internetworking Site Scan Service helps protect an organization's network by assessing network-perimeter security, and providing comprehensive, easy-to-read reports on the vulnerabilities identified. In addition, recommendations for corrective actions are delivered by GTE Internetworking's professional staff of security experts.

GTE Internetworking Site Scan Service is offered as a quarterly or monthly service to meet a wide variety of customer or industry requirements. Each scan tests up to 15 perimeter-accessible devices, including the customers' firewall, Web server(s), and other devices that may be accessible via the Internet. The scans are performed remotely over the Internet from GTE Internetworking's Network Ooperations Ccenter (NOC). Upon completion, GTE Internetworking provides a report that details the findings, with an assigned risk factor (high, medium, low) for each weakness and a recommendation as to how the problem may be resolved.

"With the recent series of highly visible Internet security breaches, network security has become an even higher priority for many organizations. GTE Internetworking Site Scan Service will enable a company's IT management to sleep well at night, knowing that its Internet-accessible devices are less susceptible to hackers' attacks," said Michael Shumway, director of Managed Internet Security for GTE Internetworking. "By using GTE Internetworking Site Scan Service on a regular basis and implementing the recommended security precautions, a company's network will be much less vulnerable to outside threats."

GTE Internetworking Site Scan Service includes Security Advisory Summaries, to provide timely information about security vulnerabilities relevant to the a customer's computing environment. The service is performed using Internet Security Systems' (ISS) Internet Scanner^TM.

GTE Internetworking Site Scan Service is a companion of Site Patrol, a managed Internet security service that integrates security policies, firewall and encryption technologies along with 24x7 monitoring and response to provide comprehensive protection against Internet-based attacks.

Pricing and Availability

GTE Internetworking Site Scan Service is available immediately. Domestic pricing for the annual service is $5,000 per year for quarterly scans, or $9,600 per year for monthly scans.

About GTE Internetworking

GTE Internetworking, a unit of GTE Corporation (NYSE: GTE) offers customers, from consumers to Fortune 500 companies, a full spectrum of integrated Internet services using IP networking technologies. GTE Internetworking delivers complete network solutions, including dial-up and dedicated Internet access, high-performance Web hosting, managed Internet security, network management, systems integration, and Web-based application development for integrating the Internet into business operations. GTE Internetworking draws upon its expertise in funded research and development of advanced technologies, including satellites, digital radio, multigigabit routers, security, and speech, and GTE's strong existing telecommunications services, including local and long distance, wireless, paging, video, and Internet.

GTE is one of the world's largest telecommunications companies and a leading provider of integrated voice, video and data services. More information about GTE Internetworking and GTE Corporation can be found on the Internet at http://www.gte.com.

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