Tools secure internal networks
Internet security software makers have new tools to help companies make sure that only designated employees have access to sensitive information.
Germany's Siemens Nixdorf said it is now making intranet security software, called TrustedWeb, which uses 128-bit encryption, available for free trial and download from the TrustedWeb Web site.
The federal government has barred U.S. firms from exporting 128-bit encryption software. Siemens, however, is shipping the software from Ireland to other countries, including the United States, and is thus immune from domestic export controls, according to the company.
"A firewall protects the intranet from external attacks, but TrustedWeb prevents internal people from looking at sensitive information they're not authorized to see," said Albert Juergen Enders, director of sales and marketing for Siemens Nixdorf Information Systems.
TrustedWeb, an access control product that also can be used on extranets, uses software "tokens" that are given to intranet users the first time they sign on to corporate networks. The token, which lasts for ten hours, allows users to see information only at their authorized access level.
Because TrustedWeb handles access control by role rather than by setting permissions for each employee, administration time is cut as much as 80 percent, according to the company. Users have a secure single sign-on, so they only have to type in their name and password once.
TrustedWeb, which will cost $100 per user before volume discounts, runs on Sun Solaris and Synix, a popular Unix platform in Europe. A Windows NT version is planned for this summer. TrustedWeb client software runs on Windows and Windows NT and works with any Web browser. The software only monitors the HTTP protocol, said the company.
In addition, Frontier Technologies, today shipped its e-Lock family of products for creating, using, and managing secure applications, email, electronic documents, and files for intranets and the Internet.
Available for Windows 95 and Windows NT, products include e-Cert for issuing and managing digital certificates or digital IDs; e-Mail, an S/MIME secure email application that permits digital signing and encryption of email messages; and e-Sign, a digital signing and encryption application for securing documents and files.
Versions 1.1 of the e-Lock family cost $799 for e-Cert, $49 for e-Mail, and $99 for e-Sign. e-Lock is sold direct and through Frontier Technologies' channel partners. Free evaluation copies may be downloaded from Frontier's Web site.
Hewlett-Packard today announced that its HP Praesidium/Security Service 1.5 will interoperate with client software for CyberSafe Challenger and Veritas (formerly OpenVision) Axxion Authenticate 2.0 Kerberos.
Security Service 1.5, which costs $3,100 to $15,500 per server, is an intranet security application targeted at financial institutions, telecommunications companies, and manufacturing organizations to protect personal or confidential information moving across extended enterprise networks. Security Service 1.5 secures telnet, file transfer protocol (FTP), and remote-access programs.
Also, Network-1 Software and Technology announced today that its FireWall/Plus for Windows NT now supports Microsoft Proxy Server 1.0, creating another layer of security protection. Proxies filtered include HTTP, FTP, and a generic streaming proxy. FireWall/Plus and Microsoft Proxy Server can run at the same time on the same machine.
Network-1 also said it is testing additional proxies for remote authentication, virus scanning, and Java and ActiveX screening. The company expects to add those protocols soon. FireWall/Plus is available direct from Network-1 or through resellers. It is currently available in enterprise, server, and workstation versions. Prices for the high-end firewall range from $4,500 to $13,000.