Category: Product

One of the biggest modifications expected for the server operating system is a system known as ACI (Advanced Client Inspection), which checks the health of PCs attempting to connect to a network.

The system is similar to Cisco Systems Inc.’s Network Admission Control project but is done strictly through Windows.

When a client machine tries to log on to a network, Windows Server 2003 checks the security posture of the PC and compares it against a predetermined corporate policy.

Microsoft plans to ship a set of security policy templates for ACI, but customers can design their own as well.

The system also will allow administrators to set group policies for departments that have differing security requirements.

“The notion of one size fitting all in terms of security just isn’t the case,” said Mike Nash, vice president of the Security and Technology Business Unit at Microsoft, in an interview during the Microsoft Security Summit here last week.

While Microsoft plans to release a service pack for Windows Server 2003 in the second half of this year, it’s unclear whether ACI will be included in that or delivered in some other form, Nash said.

This technology, along with some behavior-blocking and intrusion prevention features, is part of a second set of security tools that the company has planned for Windows XP but that likely won’t be ready in time for SP2 (Server Pack 2), which is in beta.

Nash said SP2 will include a tool that gives customers the ability to specify which wireless LANs users are allowed to connect to, thereby eliminating the risk that can arise from connecting to unknown and potentially hostile networks.

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,4149,1565334,00.asp?kc=EWRSS03119TX1K0000594

Programs such as Netstumbler and WaveRunner survey the airwaves to feel out rogue access points.

Testing with them, however, requires a human (most likely you) to seek out problems in the wireless coverage area by walking around the trouble spots looking for an anomaly.

AirDefense, a wireless LAN security company, has one product designed just for the busy IT professional who has better things to do than walk around testing for rogue access points.

RogueWatch centrally monitors a wireless LAN for rogue access points, using distributed sensors and a server appliance tailored to monitoring this activity.

http://techrepublic.com.com/5100-6263_11-5176405-1-1.html

Symantec on Monday introduced new client-side security software for the enterprise that borrows some tools and techniques from the company’s consumer line. Client Security integrates firewall, anti-virus, and intrusion detection defenses for desktops and laptops, then puts all the protected clients under control from a single management console. Its target:…

With the first Sarbanes-Oxley Act compliance deadlines just seven months away, Microsoft Corp. and Oracle Corp. have introduced software to automate publicly held companies’ compliance processes. Microsoft’s Office Solution Accelerator for Sarbanes-Oxley, rolled out last week, provides best-practice guidelines and templates for documenting processes using Microsoft’s Windows SharePoint Services and…

AT&T has introduced two new security services, AT&T Internet Protect and AT&T Personal Firewall, to give businesses and government agencies worldwide some of the most powerful weapons available to date in their ever-increasing battle against cyber security attacks.

Each product in the Gateway Security 300 Series will include six integrated security functions, along with an option for a secure wireless access point for LANs (local area networks), according to Symantec.

The devices integrate firewall, intrusion prevention, intrusion detection, antivirus policy enforcement, content-filtering and VPN capabilities.

They are designed to analyze information packets and their destinations, to block malicious packets, to monitor computers for viruses, and to automatically update Symantec antivirus software.

Each appliance also includes an automatic-dial back-up feature, designed to ensure that a company’s Internet connection isn’t lost if a main broadband connection falters.

The products will hit the market in late April, with a starting price of about $400 for the low-end models, such as the Gateway Security 320, which can accommodate roughly 50 users, according to Symantec.

http://news.com.com/2100-7347_3-5175678.html?tag=nefd_top