UTMs unmasked

Among the four devices we tested, only one -- the Sonic Wall NSA E7500 -- provided a significant level of protection against malware, blocking 96 percent of the attacks we threw at it. The Astaro Security Gateway 425 and Watch Guard Firebox Peak X5500 fell far short, blocking a mere 26 percent and 33 percent of the attacks, respectively. The ZyXel ZyWall USG1000 took the middle ground, blocking a more respectable 69 percent of the attacks.
So who won? We do have a clear overall victor in the group, but before we get to that, let's talk about the winners in several important categories. If initial purchase price is your primary consideration, then ZyXel has a UTM for you. Make sure to keep tabs on just how much bandwidth you ask the ZyXel to protect, because it runs out of steam much earlier than the Sonic Wall and Watch Guard appliances. But at one-fifth the cost of the Astaro, the ZyXel ZyWall ($3,399 as tested) provides just as much throughput and twice the attack protection. Playing within its limits, the ZyWall is a solid, economical choice for organizations with smaller, less-demanding

Networks.

Maybe your primary criteria are out-of-the-box safety, though your system will require substantial customization before your users are all happy. It sounds like the Watch Guard system is for you. Also a terrific value (at $9,299 as tested), the Watch Guard Firebox lays claim to enterprise-class manageability and the most throughputs in our test. This is a firewall with plenty of

Headroom.

If you seek the greatest number of functions in a single box, the Astaro Security Gateway appliance brings an incredible range of security options to the table in a Linux-fueled package. The Astaro is even available as a VMware virtual machine, if protecting your company's virtual server farm is what you have in mind. However, the Astaro pulls up short on attack protection and throughput, especially for the price ($18,565 as tested).

Finally, if you need nothing short of the most serious combination of uncompromising security and maximum throughput, the SonicWall NSA is your box. The clear winner of our test, the SonicWall ran only a step behind the WatchGuard in throughput and far surpassed all three competitors in attack protection. Add its wizard-based setup routine that steps administrators through an otherwise complex process, and you have a product that clearly benefits from being the sixth generation of its family.






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Malware-fighting firewalls miss the mark

Protecting a network now meant deploying multiple firewall types (network, endpoint, and application), anti-virus protection, content filters, intrusion detection systems, and more. Instead of a big box of rules, you needed a relay rack stuffed top to bottom with appliances -- each with its own administrative interface, and each representing a possible point of failure in the network. There had to be a better way, especially for smaller companies that couldn't afford a massive staff to feed and care for the relay racks full of appliances -- and thus, the unified threat manager (UTM) was born.

In the beginning was the firewall, and it was pretty good. A big box of rules that sat between your network and the evils of the Internet, the firewall examined ports and protocols to decide which packets got in and which were barred at the door. Then things got, as things often do, complicated. New threats came sneaking in on trusted protocols, ports and protocols became tangled, and looking inside packets became just as important as noting their source, destination, and type.

Indeed, a rapidly growing number of small and mid-size companies are opting for the administrative and operational simplicity of the single-box solution. And so we decided that UTMs aimed at the mid-size company were the perfect group to use for the rollout of InfoWorld's new firewall and UTM test protocols. When we began this process well over a year ago, we asked for input from virtually every firewall and UTM vendor we knew, and we invited every UTM vendor we could find to send us an appliance to test. In the end, four vendors answered the call. Astaro, Sonic Wall, Watch Guard, and ZyXel submitted units for this first set of tests.

Although all four fulfill the basic definition of a UTM -- combining firewall, VPN, intrusion detection and prevention, anti-malware, anti-spam, and Web content filtering -- we could not have asked for four more diverse units. There are differences in basic approaches to security (by default, allow most normal traffic or allow absolutely nothing), differences in administration capabilities, big differences in throughput, and most important of all, immense differences in effectiveness against malware.

US Marshals, FBI Affected - Computer Virus Strikes

Law enforcement computers were struck by a mystery computer virus Thursday, forcing the FBI and the U.S. Marshals to shut down part of their networks as a precaution.

The U.S. Marshals confirmed it disconnected from the Justice Department’s computers as a protective measure after being hit by the virus; an FBI official said only that that agency was experiencing similar issues and was working on the problem.

“We too are evaluating a network issue on our external, unclassified network that’s affecting several government agencies,” said FBI spokesman Mike Kortan. He did not elaborate or identify the other agencies.

“We too are evaluating a network issue on our external, unclassified network that’s affecting several government agencies,” the agency’s computer problem began Thursday morning. The FBI began experiencing similar problems earlier.

In addition to their external networks, most federal law enforcement agencies have an internal-only network to prevent cyber-snoopers from sensitive data.

In Thursday’s incident, the Marshals Service shut down its Internet access and some e-mail while staff worked on the problem. The FBI made similar moves to protect its system.

So, I ask you, ”Who is going to protect your from cybercrime and identity theft?

You can’t look to our government to protect you. Heck, they are having enough trouble keeping the bad guys at bay and from stealing sensitive documents. Personally, I wouldn’t count on our government to do much to protect you from cybercriminals and identity theft any time soon.

The Identity Theft Recouce Center tells us only one in 700 identity thieves are ever caught. So, identity theft, for the bad guys, is a pretty safe to commit a crime. Unfortunately, the victim is left with the effects of the crime for many years to come. And, even when a criminal is caught, most Federal and State identity theft and cybercrime laws are weak and don’t hand out much punishment compared to the damage done to the victim.

You can’t count on corporate America to protect you. With your personal information spread all over the country from one corporation to a doctor’s office to a insuance agency to who knows where else it is, it is only a matter of time before a creative hacker get your personal information, too.

So, what is the answer to the question, Who is going to protect you from cybercrime and identity theft?" The answer is it has to begin and end with you. You have to take proactive measures to counter these attacks from these fraudsters.

I Recommend two solutions:

Whole identity theft protection – this is a new form of identity theft protection that goes beyond the credit protection you see advertised on radio and TV. It proactively protects your whole identity regularly checking for all forms of identity theft in thousands of locations including secret Internet trading places the bad guys hang out in. The service also includes full identity restoration back to pre-theft status.

Managed personal computer service – Again, this is a relatively new form of compter protection. It includes professional grade protection on your computer and unlimited tech support at no addtional charge to make sure your computer is free of malware and runs like new.You need 21st century protection to fight against 21st Century crimes!You have to take proactive steps to guard against today’s cybercriminals. They are more creative and inovative that ever before. It takes a 21st Century form of protection to counteract these bad guys and protect your personal information. You must take action. Don’t count on anyone else to do it for you.

Who Is Going to Protect You From Cybercrime And Identity Theft?

You don’t have to look very long to find a cybecrime or identity theft story these days. The two fastest crimes in the world today appear to be escalating at an ever faster rate.Cybercrime and identity theft articles are everywhere.

Every day new cybercrime or identity theft articles are released in publications and on the Internet. Lately, we are hearing how vulnerable our government is, how malware like Conficker is infecting computers around the world and how fast identity theft is growing and impacting millions of innocent people.The world is becoming a more dangerous place to live even when we are at home and have our doors and windows locked and the blinds pulled down.

The world is becoming a harder place to stay safe and away from the criminals who are after our personal information and our money.Unfortunately, our personal information is everywhere including our doctors and hospital, insurance agencies, credit card companies, banks, mortgage companies, utility companies, and a lot more.

We are vulnerable to all forms of identity theft including medical fraud, drivers licenses, social security benefits fraud, Federal and State tax fraud, passports, 401k, bankruptcy and a whole lot more.

Identity theft increased by 22 percent from 2007 to 2008. One-point-eight million more Americans were impacted by identity theft in 2008 than a year earlier. Total number impacted rose to nearly ten million Americans costing them them $48 billion according to the report.

Cybersecurtiy Securing Our Digital Future

The United States is one of the global leaders infiltrating technology into our daily lives and this technology adoption has transformed the global economy and connected people in ways never imagined. Children use the Internet daily to do homework, blog with their friends and teacher, and email their mom; it is second nature to them. My mom and dad can read the newspapers about their daughter on-line and can reach me anywhere in the world from their cell phone to mine. And people all over the world can post and watch videos and read our blogs within minutes of completion. I can’t imagine my world without this connectivity and I would bet that you cannot either.

Now consider that the same networks that provide this connectively also increasingly help control our critical infrastructure. These networks deliver power and water to our households and businesses, they enable us to access our bank accounts from almost any city in the world, and they are transforming the way our doctors provide healthcare. For all of these reasons, we need a safe Internet with a strong network infrastructure and we as a nation need to take prompt action to protect cyberspace for what we use it for today and will need in the future.　

We are late in addressing this critical national need and our response must be focused, aggressive, and well-resourced. We now have a strong and common view of what is needed to achieve change. Ensuring that cyberspace is sufficiently resilient and trustworthy to support U.S. goals of economic growth, civil liberties and privacy protections, national security, and the continued advancement of democratic institutions requires making cybersecurity a national

priority.

Protecting cyberspace requires strong vision and leadership and will require changes in policy, technology, education, and perhaps law. Conclusion outlines the beginning of a way forward in building a reliable, resilient, trustworthy digital infrastructure for the future.

There are opportunities for everyone—individuals, academia, industry, and governments—to contribute toward this vision. To accomplish our goals. It must begin with a national dialogue on cybersecurity and we should start with our family, friends, and colleagues.
Posted by Rosemarie Grabowski at 10:18 AM

Experts warn mobile phones face hacking threat

Are Mobile Phones Safe?Experts warn mobile phones are a hacking threatAccessing your bank account using your mobile phone might seem safe, but security experts say would-be hackers can access confidential information via a simple text message seemingly from your service provider.

The threat is growing as mobile internet usage rises.People in the industry aware of the risk see it as extremely small, as only a few people use handsets to access their bank accounts, but it is growing as mobile Internet usage rises.

In April, the flaw -- which enables criminals to access a cell phone data connection, steal data or install or remove programs -- gained wider attention at the BlackHat Europe security conference.The hacker does not have to be . . . .Per chief tehnology officer.

"The hacker does not have to be especially skilled to do this," said Jukka Tuomi, chief technology officer at Finnish software firm ErAce Security Solutions.

ErAce said that in some phones using Microsoft's Windows software, users cannot block the attack, while Symbian phone users can block malicious messages.

However, in practice, most users accept an installation of new settings if they seem to be from an operator.

So far, security problems on cell phones have been mostly limited to small outbreaks as
operators have been able to screen the data traffic, but the new risk could be out of their reach in many countries where screening text messages is not allowed.

Consumers' increasing fears over computer viruses' ability to attack cell phones can put at risk the take up of new mobile services, which are crucial for operators looking for growth in mature markets, where call prices are falling.

A REAL RISK

Also, installing security software on the phone is not always enough, as on some models criminals can wipe the program from the phone."People think they are closing their door, but the windows and the back door are open," ErAce's Tuomi said.Opening a secureconnection. . .

When trying to enter a bank website on a mobile browser from an infected phone, the message on the phone says: "Opening a secure connection. Content cannot be seen by anyone else." In fact, the connection goes through criminals' servers.

A Real Risk . . . . Per a researvh director.

"This is a real risk, but we have not seen this used in any real attacks in the field," said Mikko Hypponen, research director at Finnish security software firm F-Secure.

Jacob Greenblatt, from security software firm Discretix said: "While this is definitely serious, there are certain safeguards which can be built into mobile devices to eliminate the threat entirely or to limit its potential for harm."

Even if new phones are protected, this would still leave billions of phones on the market which are not shielded. (Reporting by Tarmo Virki; Editing by Rupert Winchester).

Now is the most important time to do something for yourself and your family. . .it is time for you to take the responsibility to get the best computer security for your computer and the best Identity Theft protection for you and your family?

Rosemarie Grabowski
PC Security & IdentityTheft Protection
308 687 6085
topsecretfreereport.com/makeadifference-x
www.myinvisusdirect.com/RGrabowski

Cyber Crime Is Real Make No Mistake

I’ve said it before and I will say it again, the Internet continues to become more dangerous as new web pages are infected at an ever increasing rate.So cyberspace is real. And so are the risks that come with it. It's the great irony of our Information Age -- the very technologies that empower us to create and to build also empower those who would disrupt and destroy. And this paradox -- seen and unseen -- is something that we experience every day.It's the classified military and intelligence networks that keep us safe, and the World Wide Web that has made us more interconnected than at any time in human history.

But make no mistake: This world -- cyberspace -- is a world that we depend on every single day. It's our hardware and our software, our desktops and laptops and cell phones and Blackberries that have become woven into every aspect of our lives. It's the broadband networks beneath us and the wireless signals around us, the local networks in our schools and hospitals and businesses, and the massive grids that power our nation. It's long been said that the revolutions in communications and information technology have given birth to a virtual world.

How about the privacy and the economic security of American families? We rely on the Internet to pay our bills, to bank, to shop, to file our taxes. But we've had to learn a whole new vocabulary just to stay ahead of the cyber criminals who would do us harm -- spyware and malware and spoofing and phishing and botnets.

Millions of Americans have been victimized, their privacy violated, their identities stolen, their lives upended, and their wallets emptied. According to one survey, in the past two years alone cyber crime has cost Americans more than $8 billion.

A powerful reminder In this Information Age, one of our greatest strengths -- in our case, our ability to communicate through the Internet -- could also be one of our greatest vulnerabilities.

Per President Obama:

"The small businesswoman in St. Louis, the bond trader in the New York Stock Exchange, the workers at a global shipping company in Memphis, the young entrepreneur in Silicon Valley -- they all need the networks to make the next payroll, the next trade, the next delivery, the next great breakthrough. E-commerce alone last year accounted for some $132 billion in retail sales.

But every day we see waves of cyber thieves trolling for sensitive information -- the disgruntled employee on the inside, the lone hacker a thousand miles away, organized crime, the industrial spy and, increasingly, foreign intelligence services. In one brazen act last year, thieves used stolen credit card information to steal millions of dollars from 130 ATM machines in 49 cities around the world -- and they did it in just 30 minutes. A single employee of an American company was convicted of stealing intellectual property reportedly worth $400 million. It's been estimated that last year alone cyber criminals stole intellectual property from businesses worldwide worth up to $1 trillion.http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/29/us/politics/29obama.text.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&ref=politics

In short, America's economic prosperity in the 21st century will depend on cyber security. And this is also a matter of public safety and national security. We count on computer networks to deliver our oil and gas, our power and our water. We rely on them for public transportation and air traffic control. Yet we know that cyber intruders have probed our electrical grid and that in other countries cyber attacks have plunged entire cities into darkness.

"Unfortunately, you can’t tell an infected web site from one that isn’t. Even high traffic popular web sites can be infected.It is important that your computer is protected against this new threat. Many over-the-counter, free ware and low grade protection products do not protect against this new malware.

So my computer is an important business tool that I rely on daily. Just a few of the reasons I am involved in the field of PC Security.

Rosemarie Grabowski
PC Security & IdentityTheft Protection
308 687 6085
topsecretfreereport.com/makeadifference-x