Firewall Whitepapers and Ebooks

This sections provides whitepapers on Firewall that details on trends, analysis and latest happenings in the industry.

  • Top 10: To trust or not
    Your guard is down when you trust well known brands, alerts, notices and friends, and the cyber crime world leverages this opportunity now more than ever. The days of training employees on what is safe to click and what is not have passed into the sunset. Now employees cannot be certain who to trust as popular web sites are utilized as unwitting hosts to an array of drive-by downloads that automatically install and contain web threats or malware. Further weakening confidence are lures from friends and alerts that appear to offer protection while downloading information-stealing software or co-opting the computer as a cyber crime resource. To eliminate the gray area of what your employees should and should not trust, know your web defense. Below is a Top 10 list of risks that your employees may assume they can trust but your web defense should not. 1 Popular Web Sites have a large audience and often weak protections against iFrame & SQL injection attacks, making them key targets. In a matter of hours, malware can infect many users before being detected and removed from the site. Simple in design, the injections are scripts or pointers to a cybercrime grid of servers and malware download hosts that deliver their payload without the user clicking on anything.
  • Comprehensive Web Security Overview
    Web traffic is increasingly becoming a popular vector for attacking networks as most organizations have addressed other well-known vulnerabilities by deploying email AV gateways and desktop AV clients. Now, attacks, such as drive-by installers of spyware and viruses tunneling over SSL, often go undetected by today's perimeter security, which is often merely a firewall with Web content filtering. Networks without comprehensive security at Internet access points, which analyst firm Gartner estimates is approximately 85% to 90% of corporate networks, organizations are unwittingly exposing themselves to serious, Web-based attacks.
  • 5 Steps for Small and Mid-Sized Businesses to Successfully Leverage Managed IT Services
    Even as information technology (IT) systems, software and networks become more sophisticated, they are also becoming more complicated and difficult to manage in a costeffective fashion. And, as IT becomes more pivotal to the day-to-day operations of organizations of all sizes, it has also become imperative that organizations optimize the availability and performance of their IT in order to gain the greatest economic value from these investments. Even more importantly, it is critical that they minimize the risk of any IT failures which could adversely impact their business. This IT management challenge can be particularly daunting for small- and mid-size businesses (SMBs)--commercial and non-profit organizations of 30-400 employees--that typically lack enough in-house skills and resources to systematically manage today's technologies and business applications. Market researcher Gartner estimates that 80% of the dollars companies spend on IT is dedicated to "keeping the lights on" and represents "dead money" which does not contribute directly to business growth. Compounding this problem is the escalating number of Internet viruses threatening to disrupt businesses that either don't have the right security systems in place or fail to regularly update their anti-virus, spyware, malware and other security software with the proper patches. As a consequence these growing challenges, many SMBs feel like they are not getting the return on their IT investment (ROI) they expected and are often at the mercy of their IT rather than fully leveraging it to achieve their organizational objectives.
  • Threat Defense for Borderless Networks
    Traditional security techniques are unable to respond to threats that can arise from anywhere. To protect today's borderless networks, IT managers must adapt by implementing faster, smarter security measures that monitor the constantly changing global landscape. This white paper, written for IT managers and executives, examines the security risks and needs of borderless networks, details a systematic plan of action, and describes how Cisco can help implement threat defenses that will serve you today and for years to come. The threat landscape has changed. IT and security operations teams must combat an array of threats to the network infrastructure and simultaneously assure network access for all who need it. Many current and emerging threats take advantage of existing vulnerabilities, even though organizations can become distracted by emerging threats. It is important to focus time, energy, and resources on what is strategically, financially, and competitively most important to safeguard your organization and that means taking a close look at your entire security system. Cisco provides robust, high-performance market-leading solutions to help organizations secure and manage their borderless networks, and backs them up with proactive intelligence from Cisco Security Intelligence Operations. To learn more about Cisco Threat Defense solutions, visit http://www.cisco.com/go/threatdefense contact your local reseller.
  • The Failure of End Point Security Calls for New Alternatives
    GateDefender Performa is Panda Security's high-performance SCM appliance that protects the corporate network perimeter. It provides powerful and feature-rich perimeter protection against all types of Internet-borne content threats. Thanks to its anti-malware, anti-spam, and Web filtering features, it fulfils all the security needs of network administrators � detecting and eliminating all content-based threats, removing junk mail, and protecting employees against accessing unproductive Web content. GateDefender Integra is an easy to use, all-in-one appliance that protects businesses against all types of threats. It builds on to the content-based functionality of GateDefender Performa by adding network-level protection with powerful firewall, VPN, and IDS functionality. The device offers excellent performance, a low cost of ownership, and is easy to manage. Both Panda GateDefender appliances offer maximum protection for the network perimeter as soon as they are connected, providing administrators with true peace of mind. For this reason, return on investment is visible from the outset: systems are protected and companies can concentrate their efforts on core business objectives. For more information on Panda GateDefender appliances or any other Panda solutions and services, please visit www.pandasecurity.com. Internet-based threats are increasing in both frequency and impact across today's enterprises. Unsolicited e-mails are creating major for all companies, either in the form of security threats, consuming excessive network bandwidth and storage, or by reducing employee productivity by permitting large volumes of spam to reach users' desktops.
  • The Benefits Of Switching From Antivirus To SaaS
    SMBs' specific security needs SMBs know they are exposed to the same risks and subject to the same regulations as large organizations. And with more threats in circulation, their protection requirements are increasingly complex: � � There are more threats than ever (PandaLabs has received more malware last year than in the previous 16 years combined) Malware is silent and more difficult to combat as long as it remains hidden, causing identity theft, financial and productivity losses and other malicious action. This malware landscape that organizations have to face requires a full set of maximized capabilities for malware detection. When SMBs implement a security solution, they have to choose the one that provides adequate protection while adapting to their specific needs. In many cases, their limited resources are not enough to obtain the security levels they require. � Small and mid-sized businesses usually lack skilled resources for protecting and managing their network security. They tend to invest all possible resources in their core business activities, and have severe limitations in assigning budgets to IT security. They also need a continuous monitoring system to reduce risk. Remote and branch offices are often widely distributed and therefore need to be managed from a centralized point.
  • The Best Anti-Spam Solution Providers
    Anti-Spam Test Results West Coast Labs performed a comparison test on a range of email solutions (appliances, software, and hosted service solutions) to measure their relative spam detection rates over a series of at least 100,000 genuine spam emails using West Coast Labs real-time spam feed. The following table highlights the spam detection rates of each solution. The False Positive detection rates for each solution were also calculated, and were negligible across each of the solutions, except Microsoft, which recorded a significant False Positive rate of 0.71%. Test Methodology Each of the solutions was tested against the West Coast Labs live enterprise spam feed, multiplexed across each of the solutions, so that each solution received the same emails. Testing was conducted over a total of 6 days. Each solution under test was configured in accordance with the vendor's instructions, and was allowed to download the latest updates prior to the commencement of testing. During the course of the test period, signature updates were allowed. It should also be noted that no performance training was conducted on any of the solutions during the testing. The overall test results are based on an analysis carried out against a subset of 50,124 messages and 4,249 genuine messages sent through each of the devices.
  • Anti-spam Comparison Report
    West Coast Labs performed an anti-spam comparative test on various email solutions related to spam detection rate over a series of at least 100,000 emails per solution. The vendors that were considered were the following(alphabetically, and by deployment type): � Appliances � � � � � � � � � � � � Barracuda Fortinet Ironport McAfee Trend Micro - WPF Microsoft Sophos Symantec Trend Micro - WPF Websense Each solution in the test was configured in accordance with the solution provider's instructions, and was allowed to download the latest updates prior to the testing. During the course of the testing, signature updates were allowed. It should also be noted that no training was conducted during the testing. All the software-based solutions were installed and configured to receive the West Coast Labs mail feed. A series of test messages were then sent through each solution in turn to determine whether they were correctly routing through to the target collection point. Once confirmed, the products were then updated to the latest releases and a forensic image was taken of each. Simultaneously, the four appliances had the appropriate setup processes/wizards run. As with the software-based solutions, engineers then sent a series of test messages to that the messages were correctly routing to the target collection points.
  • Anti-Spam Solutions - Jan 09: Comparative Testing: Appliances, Software and Hosted Service Solutions
    Anti-Spam Test Results West Coast Labs performed a comparison test on a range of email solutions (appliances, software, and hosted service solutions) to measure their relative spam detection rates over a series of at least 100,000 genuine spam emails using West Coast Labs real-time spam feed. The following table highlights the spam detection rates of each solution. The False Positive detection rates for each solution were also calculated, and were negligible across each of the solutions, except Microsoft, which recorded a significant False Positive rate of 0.71%. Test Methodology Each of the solutions was tested against the West Coast Labs live enterprise spam feed, multiplexed across each of the solutions, so that each solution received the same emails. Testing was conducted over a total of 6 days. Each solution under test was configured in accordance with the vendor's instructions, and was allowed to download the latest updates prior to the commencement of testing. During the course of the test period, signature updates were allowed. It should also be noted that no performance training was conducted on any of the solutions during the testing. The overall test results are based on an analysis carried out against a subset of 50,124 messages and 4,249 genuine messages sent through each of the devices.
  • Arch Design Firm Deploys Trend Micro - WPF Solutions to Achieve Security While Saving Saving Time
    In the firm of Fletcher Farr Ayotte (FFA) Inc., 30 architects and a support staff of 20 spend the majority of their workday on computers. The architecture, planning, and interior design projects for housing, commercial buildings, museums, libraries, and educational settings require the latest computer-aided design tools and solutions. When viruses or worms crash computers, or spyware slows systems, the employees are less productive. Projects can take longer and customer satisfaction can be compromised. To combat these problems, FFA relies on a single in-house information systems (IS) expert: Josh Rosenbaum. A couple years ago, he knew the company needed a new security solution when viruses were making it through the in-place defenses. At the same time, his job responsibilities required him to be spending less time--not more--on security. Rosenbaum set out to find a solution that could get the job done while decreasing maintenance, troubleshooting, and cleanup time related to security. When FFA selected a replacement for its previous Symantec antivirus solution, the key selection criteria was overall protection. Based on excellent reviews in trade publications and the recommendations of its reseller, the company made the move to Trend Micro - WPFTM Client Server Messaging Security for SMB. Support--the ability to a person that could answer his questions--was an immediate improvement that Rosenbaum noted when he started learning about Trend Micro - WPF.