London, UK, 4 April 2000 - GFI's Internet/network access control tool, LANguard, now includes a password sniffer detector. This new feature gives users greater network security as it allows LANguard to detect any computers on the network that are running password sniffers. Such password crackers are a great security threat as they can be used to steal passwords from your network.

With LANguard, network administrators can unobtrusively analyze the information travelling across the network and remotely detect any PC on the LAN that is in promiscuous mode (i.e., it can 'see' all traffic on the network, not just the data addressed to it). LANguard allows you to continually monitor the network, scanning for possible security hazards. For example, LANguard lets the administrator know which users are accessing specific shares on PCs.

"LANguard's password sniffer detection allows the administrator to detect users running password sniffer programs and take corrective action. LANguard is an essential security tool for a network, which should be used in combination with a firewall," Nick Galea, GFI president, announced. "There are loads of password-cracking programs freely available on the Web. Organizations therefore cannot afford to remain defenseless against password theft. With LANguard, they can put a stop to this."

LANguard works by using revolutionary sniffer technology that allows it to reside on any machine in the network. It also ensures productive use of the Internet and includes a revolutionary feature that can prevent web searches for specified words and phrases.

LANguard includes the following features:

• Protects against Internet misuse;
• Blocks access to web sites;
• Prevents searches for/access to web pages with particular content;
• Provides reports on Internet usage;
• Provides extensive security logging;
• No network reconfiguration;
• No performance loss;
• No client reconfiguration;
• Network monitoring.

A free five-user copy is available for download. Pricing starts at $250 for the 10-user version.