Internet Security Systems is a leading provider of Internet related security products as well as a research organization that specializes in discovering and defending against internet related attacks. This special research arm of ISS is known as "X-Force". The X-Force not only researches into emerging threats, but also tracks the spread of those Internet threats across the internet through its Global Threat Operations Center.

The Global Threat Operations Center is a state of the art NOC (Network Operation Center) that can track worms, virus attacks, and other internet threats in real time around the globe.

ISS tracks and documents well over ten thousand potential vulnerabilities in its' X-Force database. This database is updated around the clock to be sure it has the latest vulnerabilties that hit the internet. The X-Force team will then give a risk assessment to a new vulnerability before it gets added into the database so systems administrators can have an idea about how serious a threat really is.

According to ISS there are three possible risk priorites that can be assigned to a threat. they are as follows:

• High: Security issues that allow immediate remote or local access, or immediate execution of code or commands, with unauthorized privileges. Examples are most buffer overflows, backdoors, default or no password, and bypassing security on firewalls or other network components.
• Medium: Security issues that have the potential of granting access or allowing code execution by means of complex or lengthy exploit procedures, or low risk issues applied to major Internet components. Examples are cross-site scripting, man-in-the-middle attacks, SQL injection, denial of service of major applications, and denial of service resulting in system information disclosure (such as core files).
• Low: Security issues that deny service or provide non-system information that could be used to formulate structured attacks on a target, but not directly gain unauthorized access. Examples are brute force attacks, non-system information disclosure (configurations, paths, etc.), and denial of service attacks.

ISS AlertCon Level Definitions