Trend Micro introduces web security service for Playstation 3

Trend Micro has announced a new Web security service for Playstation 3 released by Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

Trend Micro Web Security for PS3 is expected to be available on 8 November, and will be free of charge until the end of April 2008. The date and method to switch to a pay service and the price will be announced as soon as a decision is made.

The company says this service is the first globally supported Web security service for a home game system. The service provision starts on 8 November as part of PS3’s system software update version 2.00 for PS3s sold worldwide with the user interface in 16 languages.

Trend Micro points out that home game systems with Web site browsing capabilities will continue to proliferate, and Web browsing via a game console is expected to become more and more popular. With the growing trend, users may also become more susceptible to malicious Web sites through the game system, or may have a chance to become the victim of cybercrime that targets monetary transactions such as shopping, banking, and securities trading through Web sites.

This service is developed as a module especially for PS3 using Trend Micro’s own Web reputation and URL filtering technology.

Access to websites that are classified into specific categories (Adult/Sex, Alcohol/Tobacco, Crime, Cults/The Occult, Gambling, Hacking/Proxy Avoidance, Illegal Drugs, Sex Education, Violence/Hate/Racism, Weapons/Military, etc.) can be blocked simply by going to the PS3 Internet Browser menu, selecting “Tool,” and then selecting “Trend Micro Web Security for PS3” from “Browser Security.” A password will be needed.

When a website is accessed from PS3, Trend Micro in-the-cloud databases are looked up. The URL filtering database classifies Web sites into categories, and the Web reputation database will immediately evaluate Web pages, domains and IP addresses. By using both capabilities together, malicious Web pages and Web sites that were previously difficult to handle only with URL filtering can also be blocked.