Internet Security Gets Injunction vs. Former Worker

A U.S. court ruling has barred a former Internet Security Systems employee from further disseminating research he has already disclosed on how computer hackers could undermine Internet equipment made by Cisco Systems that is vital to the operation of the Internet.

The ruling by a U.S. District Court in San Francisco permanently bars former employee Michael Lynn and the Black Hat conference organization from disseminating, in any form, the presentation Lynn gave at the conference on Wednesday, Internet Security Systems Inc. said in a statement on Friday.

Internet Security and San Jose, California-based Cisco, the biggest maker of gear used to direct traffic over the Internet, filed a joint request for the court injunction after Lynn gave the presentation. Lynn made the presentation after he had tendered his resignation to Internet Security.

The conference, in Las Vegas, is a big gathering of computer security enthusiasts who mull the latest and greatest trends in tech security.

The ruling forbids Lynn from making further use of, or disclosing, any of the research in the presentation that he conducted while employed by Internet Security, the company said.

It said the information Lynn presented did not disclose a new vulnerability or flaw with Cisco Systems Inc.'s_(Nasdaq:CSCO - news) Internetwork Operating System software but was a description of ways to "expand exploitations of known security vulnerabilities" affecting Cisco's routers, which are vital to moving Internet traffic.

Atlanta-based Internet Security Systems provides protection for these Cisco vulnerabilities.

The companies were not immediately available to comment on whether Lynn's presentation had caused any increased efforts to undermine Cisco's equipment.

Prior to the start of the conference, Lynn had informed the Black Hat organizers that he would not make a presentation at the show because Internet Security had determined that further research needed to be conducted on the topic to be presented, Internet Security said.

Internet Security is known for its network intrusion prevention software that offers big companies in industries like banking and automotive protections to keep Internet menaces like viruses and spam from getting inside corporate networks.

Copyright 2005 Reuters Limited.

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