FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 07, 2009

New and free online security tools, including a Tiny URL Checker, will help Internet surfers and social networkers stay safe online. "Even before micro-blogging services such as Twitter achieved their massive popularity among social networkers, hackers were exploiting the Tiny URLs that third-party vendors create," explains Vancouver-based IT consulting firm Pacific Coast Information Systems Ltd. (PCIS) President Vaclav Vincalek. PCIS has begun promoting the security tools this week.

"Hackers hide links to their malicious sites within these short URLs. If you've used Twitter or other social networks, you've almost certainly come across these suspicious links. If you clicked on the shortened URL expecting breaking news or a cool tip, instead you were rewarded with malware for your computer."

"Our tool helps social networkers and ordinary Internet users avoid these problems. Just go to www.pcistools.com and click "Check a short URL now!" Type the short URL into the Tiny URL Checker and click "Check URL". Now you can see that web page's Safe Browsing Information, as well as its WHOIS information, Blog Search information and Social Media Analysis. Now you'll know if the website is safe to visit as well as other information that will be able to show the site's social media links."

But that's not all. At www.pcistools.com, you can also check outbound links on a web page. Phishing scams often spoof legitimate websites, or use the actual website to manipulate them and link elsewhere. Use this utility to catalog links on a site to identify links to hacker's websites. Just click "Check a web page's outbound links now!" Type the short URL into the Tiny URL Checker and click "Check URL". These tools mitigate the risk of cyber-crime to make the Internet safer.

"Some companies have shut down access to social networks to avoid security risks, but we find that for most companies, such a drastic approach just isn't feasible. This allows both individuals and organizations to mitigate risk while enjoying the capabilities of social networks."

The development and publicizing of the free online security tools is the latest phase of an ongoing campaign by PCIS to encourage better security among its businesses customers and the general public.

To help ordinary Internet users avoid cyber threats, PCIS launched another new public service, Devfense Cyber Alert in late September. The free service will help users know which websites have been flagged as vulnerable to hackers and may harm Internet surfers' computers or be used to violate their privacy. This information is published on Twitter at www.twitter.com/devfense_alert (Twitter username @devfense_alert).

As well, PCIS publishes the Cyber Security Newsletter, including news and tips to help organizations protect their business and their customers, through the website (www.boonbox.net/cyber-security-informer.htm) and other platforms for the security-focused division of PCIS, Boonbox. PCIS has also been building partnerships with other security companies to offer superior security for organizations.

For instance, PCIS recently partnered with Cenzic, complementing its Boonbox Devfense security offering by becoming a reseller of Cenzic Hailstorm Web Application software. This announcement followed closely on the heels of PCIS' announcement in September of becoming a reseller of Imperva’s SecureSphere Web Application Firewall (WAF).

About PCIS – www.pcis.com
Pacific Coast Information Systems (PCIS) Ltd. is a full-service technology and consulting firm based in Vancouver. Founded in 1995 as a technology company providing application development and support, PCIS’s core business is to provide technical assessment & services, business analysis, and I.T. project management. PCIS has expertise in networking, security, application development and compliance.

About Boonbox – www.boonbox.net
Boonbox, a division of PCIS, was created in 2007. Boonbox specializes in productivity solutions that deliver immediate results in support of business challenges. Partnered with world-class technology vendors, Boonbox enables mid-sized companies to address security, compliance and data integrity issues.

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