GFI Software launches GFI LanGuard 2014

GFI Software has announced the availability of GFI LanGuard 2014. The newest version now features vulnerability assessment for mobile devices, including tablets and smartphones, running the mobile operating systems iOS, Android and Windows Mobile, as well as support for Linux and more than 20 additional third-party patches. GFI LanGuard, the company’s award-winning, comprehensive patch management, vulnerability assessment and network auditing software for small to mid-sized businesses (SMBs), provides network and system administrators with the ability to manage all of their patching needs through a single, intuitive and easy-to-use interface, without the need for other update tools.

According to a survey conducted by Cisco, 90% of American employees use their personal smartphone for work and 40% do not password protect their phones. As the BYOD trend (“bring your own device”) continues to grow, network administrators must now deal with the potential threats that mobile devices can introduce to a network infrastructure. Hackers will be on the prowl to exploit any vulnerability they can find in mobile operating systems. Businesses need to be vigilantly aware of not only what threats employee mobile devices can present, but also how to secure them. Mobile anti-virus is not sufficient if vulnerabilities exist and can be exploited. To meet this need, GFI LanGuard can now detect and scan for potential vulnerabilities on mobile devices running iOS, Android and Windows Phone mobile operating systems. GFI LanGuard already detects and scans devices such as printers, routers and switches, in addition to Microsoft and third-party software.

Enhanced features of GFI LanGuard 2014 include:
· Vulnerability assessment for smartphones and tablets: Based on data from National Vulnerability Database (NVD), Apple iOS contained the most security vulnerabilities in 2012, surpassing Windows operating systems for the first time. GFI LanGuard offers agent-less vulnerability assessment for all smartphones and tablets that connect to your Microsoft Exchange servers. Apple iOS, Google Android and Windows Phone are supported.
· Patch management for major Linux distributions: GFI LanGuard now supports mixed environments including Windows, Mac OS X and major Linux distributions such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Ubuntu, Suse, CentOS and Debian.

· Patch management extended with 20+ new third party applications: LanGuard has expanded its automatic patch management support for a significant number of new third party applications covering: instant messaging (Pidgin), utilities (CBBurnerXP, ImgBurn, Notepad++, CCleaner), media (VLC, Audacity), documents (LibreOffice), imaging (IrfanView, Paint.Net), online storage/backup (Google Drive, Mozy, Box), FTP clients (WinSCP, Core FTP) and Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign).

“Vulnerabilities are being discovered everywhere, in software, network attached gear and now mobile devices,” said Sergio Galindo, head of global product management at GFI Software. “GFI LanGuard continues to empower SMB administrators with enterprise class vulnerability assessment capabilities and enables them to keep their network up-to-date. With the rapid influx of mobile devices into the workplace and becoming potential exploitation points for cybercriminals, this new release enables SMBs to detect vulnerabilities on devices running today’s most popular mobile operating systems.”

GFI LanGuard 2014 combines vulnerability scanning, patch management, and network and software auditing into one solution that enables IT professionals to scan, detect, assess and correct potential security risks on their networks with minimal administrative effort. GFI LanGuard also enables administrators to inventory devices attached to their networks; receive change alerts, such as notification when a new application is installed; ensure antivirus applications are current and enabled; and strengthen compliance with industry regulations through automated patch management that defends against potential network vulnerabilities. With GFI LanGuard, IT administrators can manage more than 2,500 machines from a single console. GFI LanGuard integrates with more than 2,500 security applications and can check for more than 50,000 different vulnerabilities on a network.