By altering the applications slightly, hackers have found they can force their way into all sorts of corporate databases. All a hacker needs to do is read it, insert an altered version in the URL, and have his way. CGI scripts are commonly used to process online Web forms, such as site registration and credit-card purchases. That means hackers can access unsecured sites within minutes to change catalog prices, steal credit-card numbers, or snatch sensitive corporate data. Its latest product, AppScan 2.0, just received a stamp of approval from PricewaterhouseCoopers, which will use it as part of its security-auditing service.
Sanctum expects to close a fourth round by the spring.
That will hold the developer over until it becomes profitable in the fourth quarter of 2002, predicts Peggy Weigle, Sanctum's chief executive officer. The company does not reveal revenue. Its security system does not come cheap. And because one copy is needed for each vulnerable server, the cost can add up. Sanctum may want to contact WEF organizers.