Abstract: A method of identifying a software vulnerability on a computer system is disclosed in which the computer system has software stored thereon and is connected to a management system over a computer network. The method comprises the steps of: applying an interrogation program to the software, the interrogation program being capable of exploiting a known software vulnerability if it is present in the software to which the interrogation program is applied; in the event that the software vulnerability is exploited by the interrogation program, operating the interrogation program to generate a set of management information from which can be derived the identification of the computer system; and sending the management information to the management system.

Abstract: A method and system for detecting and preventing network intrusion by generating an intrusion signature formatted using an intrusion signature template, the signature for use with an intrusion engine that allows adding new and/or modifying existing intrusion signatures. A packet analysis engine samples packets on the network, analyzes the sampled packets, and recognizes suspicious packets generated by malicious code. An intrusion signature generator then generates an intrusion signature using the template, and the signature is imported into an intrusion engine, which uses it to block the suspicious packets. The template can be provided by a network administrator, and the signature can be imported into the intrusion engine with or without human intervention.

Abstract: A method of identifying a software vulnerability on a computer system is disclosed in which the computer system has software stored thereon and is connected to a management system over a computer network. The method comprises the steps of: applying an interrogation program to the software, the interrogation program being capable of exploiting a known software vulnerability if it is present in the software to which the interrogation program is applied; in the event that the software vulnerability is exploited by the interrogation program, operating the interrogation program to generate a set of management information from which can be derived the identification of the computer system; and sending the management information to the management system.