Cocc Partners with markmonitor^® for anti-phishing services

AVON, Conn., March 18, 2009 — COCC, a leading provider of next generation technology services for financial institutions, has partnered with MarkMonitor^®, the global leader in enterprise brand protection, to help mutual clients protect their brands in the face of increasing Internet-based fraud. COCC will market the MarkMonitor anti-phishing services under its Sentry Services Suite of risk management solutions.

“Our partnership with MarkMonitor enables our company to offer clients the most comprehensive solution for online brand protection available in the industry today,” said Richard A. Leone, President and CEO at COCC. “I am especially pleased by the proactive MarkMonitor approach and the effective use the latest technology to achieve excellent results. Today’s financial institutions need risk management solutions that work. We look forward to a highly effective partnership with MarkMonitor.”

Phishing attacks and online fraud have been growing at a steady rate, and the increasing number and sophistication of these attacks has tarnished consumer confidence in the online banking channel. According to a recent Wall Street Journal/Harris International poll, 24 percent of consumers have limited their online banking due to threats such as identity theft. 

“The MarkMonitor anti-phishing methodology is unique in the industry as a result of its focus on preventative as well as reactive measures,” said Wendy Healey, COCC’s First Vice President — Product Management. “This methodology and the many features that deliver it to end customers make MarkMonitor the superior choice for COCC’s Sentry Services risk management suite.”

Ms. Healey explained that the pervasive nature of fraud dictates that financial institutions find ways to protect themselves without deploying counter-productive processes that exhaust their resources. “COCC’s Sentry Services has a long history of delivering the highest quality, most advanced risk management solutions for COCC clients,” she said.

The MarkMonitor anti-phishing solution is the most comprehensive available for protecting an enterprise’s reputation and customers against phishing attacks. Leveraging the industry’s most extensive network of industry alliances, MarkMonitor anti-phishing solutions emphasize prevention and loss mitigation while quickly detecting, monitoring and responding to attacks.

MarkMonitor uses advanced technology to detect fraudsters while their phishing attacks are still in the planning stages. Should an attack occur, the MarkMonitor solution leverages its 24x7 security operations and technology to shut it down quickly. This includes the latest ‘rock phish’ and ‘fast flux DNS’ attacks. A web portal enables financial institutions to monitor their sites and access reports on industry-wide fraud activity. Additional features enable customers to report fraudulent or questionable emails directly through the institution’s website.

“Our holistic approach to online brand protection is the centerpiece of the MarkMonitor approach,” said Frederick Felman, Chief Marketing Officer, MarkMonitor. “This philosophy parallels COCC’s approach to  reducing brand risk to the financial sector. It’s refreshing to partner with a company that has consistently focused on Internet security and has delivered advanced technology to address the problem for so many years. It’s no wonder that COCC has earned the respect of so many financial institutions in the Northeastern United States.”