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AOL eyes secure messaging for business 
Thursday, May 30 2002
by Andrew McLindon


America Online is preparing to launch an enterprise-strength version of its
popular AOL Instant Messenger Product (AIM), according to a report. 

Web site InstantMessagingPlanet reported on Wednesday that AOL plans to host
"Secure AIM Services" for companies that want to implement confidential
instant messaging, while at the same time maintain interoperability with AIM
members. AOL didn't comment on the story.

According to AOL documents seen by the site, the company will guarantee the
confidentiality of instant messages sent inside and outside enterprises by
encrypting them. AOL will also reportedly offer a Secure Document Delivery
Service that promises to allow people and companies to securely send documents
over the Internet. 

AOL's Secure AIM Services will also log message exchanges for auditing and
archiving, and will match screen names against corporate directories, which
should make it easy for users to identify who they are messaging with. The
service could be rolled-out this summer, the site said. 

AIM is one of the most popular free instant messaging applications used in the
workplace. According to INT Media Research, AIM is used by 30 percent of on-line
employees in the United States, with MSN Messenger just behind at 28 percent. 

However, along with the growth in use of such applications has come the
inevitable security breaches. Several worms have successfully infected instant
messaging clients in recent months, including Aplore, which spreads via AIM. 

In addition, security organisation w00w00 recently discovered two vulnerabilities
in AIM, which made it possible to steal buddy lists and spread malicious code
throughout the entire AIM community, as well as on the infected computer. Patches
for these vulnerabilities have since been made available by AOL. And earlier this
month Microsoft issued a "critical" security update after the discovery of a
vulnerability that allows attackers to execute malicious code against MSN
Messenger.

According to Dermot Williams, managing director of security and communications
company Systemhouse Technology Group, IM may have "snuck in below the radar"
into companies who are generally more concerned about protecting e-mail systems.
"This makes the IT systems of such businesses vulnerable because there have
been a number of recent incidents where IM applications have been found to be not
secure," he told ElectricNews.Net. 

According to a report from Internet Security Systems, instant messaging
applications will be the next target for malicious code and viruses. It also
warned that anyone can intercept and read instant messaging chats if a corporate
firewall is not in place because most of these applications do not use a secure
layer for text messages. 

The same report said that companies looking for secure enterprise instant
messaging had several options. These included Communicator Hub software, which
uses identity management, content aggregation and management, and auditing tools
to trace user activity. Companies can also use Trillian, a chat application that
offers 128-bit Blowfish encryption for AIM, as well as ICQ. 

If AOL does decide to enter into the instant messaging enterprise sector, it will
face stiff competition from the likes of Microsoft Windows Messenger and Lotus
Sametime, who respectively have 33 percent and 15 percent of the market,
according to INT Media Research. 

More information can be found at the href="http://www.instantmessagingplanet.com">InstantMessagingPlanet Web
site.