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Big enterprises and government agencies are expected to have ironclad network security. But, what about that café down the street? Or the retail store you visited last week that used an iPad to swipe your credit card? One would hope they’re taking security seriously too – right? Unfortunately, the simple fact is that most of these multi-location, small businesses have inadequate or misconfigured security because it’s too difficult to deploy, configure and manage.

This is where Stonesoft Mass Security comes in. We’re making the installation of advanced network security as simple as plugging in a laptop. Perfect for multi-location and franchised businesses, office managers and store clerks simply have to plug in the security device (e.g. firewall) and it calls home to an installation cloud to access pre-configured settings.

Right now, our goal here at Stonesoft is to educate the masses about what Mass Security is, how it works and how it’s changing the landscape of network security. We have a ton of resources available to help speed this along, including:

• Website: This is a microsite dedicated solely to all things Mass Security. Everything you need to know – from technical know how to the basic “What is it?” – is here.
• Brief: This not-too-technical whitepaper explains how Mass Security works. It’s a must-have primer. Download here.
• Video: When’s the last time you’ve installed a firewall in 81 seconds? Now, when’s the last time you’ve enabled thousands of firewalls to install in 81 seconds? Check out this video to see it done.
• Webcast: Our next online discussion about Mass Security is on November 2, 2011 at 1pm ET (US). Join us.

written by heather.pritchett - 739 views

…as Bruce Springsteen would sing

Few days ago Stonesoft released the A2Cloud solution.
That is, the combination of multiple technologies to create secured and authenticated access to the cloud, no matter if it is public or private… because everybody has a cloud, right?

There is nothing new in the purpose to authenticate access to data and applications, since this has been a need for quite a while now… what A2Cloud the idea is to innovate the way to answer to this need from two main standpoints.

• Ergonomic Authentication
• Governance

For too long strong authentication has been synonym of hardware tokens, dedicated devices to carry around with the sole purpose of generating a one-time password based on specific algorithms.
And for too long these devices has been prone to errors in usage, battery run out ahead of time, clumsy usability and… being forgotten at home.

And for too long awareness of what was happening in the field from authentication and security governance viewpoints has been a serious issue for security administrators and auditors.
Questions such as “how often a given authentication method was used”, “how users reacted to strong authentication”, “how easy it was to use that given authentication” and many others remained without a proper answer.

A2Cloud was conceived to provide a reliable and complete answer to these questions, while relieving the users from the “doom of hardware tokens”.

Ergonomic authentication means to apply the principles of ergonomics to enable usage of common tools we’re keen to use everyday for strong authentication purposes too. And these tools are something we’ll never forget home (or, better, if it happens we’re very willing to get back home to take them )… I’m talking about mobile phones, smartphones, PDAs, tablets, netbooks and notebooks.

In short, tools we can’t live without (anymore).

Security awareness means availability of tools to understand what’s going on, how to audit authentication and other security related operations; how to get the information you need, when you need it, and with the level of detail you need to do what you need to do (supervision, troubleshooting, monitoring, alert, react to security threat, log analysis, auditing, etc.).

Visit A2Cloud minisite to develop a better understanding about how Stonesoft solution can ease your professional life of a cloud user and/or security administrator.

Share a little of that human touch…

written by RoarinPenguin - 680 views \\ tags: a2cloud, ergonomic authentication, governance

According to Sari Kajantie from the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Helsingin Sanomat, the biggest national newspaper in Finland on 4 August 2011: “It is not the fault of the employee who has opened the attachment, if the hacker can access all company data from a single laptop.”

Companies need to pay much more attention to their internal network activities and traffic. It should not come as a surprise to anybody that individual laptops are compromized. Workstation networks must be separated from the servers by firewalls and intrusion prevention systems; not only by installing these devices, but also by paying attention to rules and monitoring their alerts.

Continue reading »

written by Ari Vänttinen - 1,268 views \\ tags: Advanced Evasion Techniques, AET, Context and situation awareness, cybersecurity, IT security, risk management, Security, security threat, SMC

Black Hat is upon us.
Zombies are big this year.
And, AETs aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

If you’ll be in Las Vegas for Black Hat, there are a few things you shouldn’t miss out on…

• See AETs in action. Watch advanced evasion techniques bypass leading IPS devices. We’ll be hosting live AET demos on Wednesday, 8/3 at (12:30pm and 2pm) and on Thursday, 8/4 at 9am, 10am and 11am. Learn more here.
• Get Your Game On. Join us for Stonesoft’s Zombie Invasion Video Game Tournament at Black Hat Circuit on Wednesday, 8/3 in the Pisa Room. Register here or just show up for the fun.
• Be Scared (and win something while you’re at it). We’re giving away a trip for two to Universal Studios and Halloween Horror Nights. Register here. Winners will be announced at the Black Hat Circuit.

written by heather.pritchett - 863 views

Cost, compliance and complexity – they’re three of the biggest challenges facing today’s networks. Recently, one of the world’s largest product fulfillment and customer care service providers turned to Stonesoft to overcome these challenges.

Innotrac’s story echoes those of many enterprise networks. A cumbersome network from years of M&A activity. A mandate to be compliant with PCI standards. And, of course, a desire to reduce network costs in a time of conservative IT spending. With the help of the StoneGate Firewall/VPN and IPS solutions, Innotrac has been able simplify and drive cost out of its network infrastructure, all while achieving PCI compliance. Highlights of the results of this collaboration include:

• Reduced network, administration and data circuit costs: A single network administrator can now handle the network management responsibilities of 2.5 full time employees with little day-to-day administration. Additionally, Innotrac’s data circuit costs have been reduced by 30 percent.
• Improved network resiliency: StoneGate’s built-in high availability tools, including Multi-Link™, ensures Innotrac’s network and firewalls are always up and running.
• Simplified PCI compliance and network management: Innotrac can now easily monitor, update and configure all network devices from StoneGate’s single management console. This centralized approach also provides the reporting and management technologies needed for Level 1 PCI compliance.

For the whole story on Innotrac, read the case study here.

written by heather.pritchett - 775 views

The last week has been filled with talk about Microsoft’s recent decision to purchase Skype. Many business perspectives have been shared, but what are the security implications of this marriage? We recently spoke with eWeek and Network World about this very topic. In a nutshell, here are our thoughts:

Skype and Security – Our Thoughts: Skype is a company that has long been embattled from a security perspective, and, for the most part, Skype has been quite responsive in addressing many of the security concerns. Though largely theoretical, there are scenarios in which users could be tricked into downloading malicious content.  This could take the form of cross-site scripting for unencrypted advertisements or someone impersonating a user in your contact list.  The threat of one application over another is largely subjective, but for administrators that remain concerned about real or theoretical problems with Skype, they should have the full attention of the security community to ensure these concerns are addressed.

Skype in the Enterprise: The main concerns with bringing Skype into the enterprise are the following:  transparency and control.  Skype uses a proprietary protocol that has not had a great deal of peer review. With that in mind, customers should give thought to asking Microsoft for more transparency into the capabilities and shortcomings of Skype so that administrators can decide for themselves about deploying Skype in the enterprise. Consideration should also be given to how the Skype peer-to-peer architecture works and if it is permitted my existing security policies. As for control, Skype can use common ports for communication, such as web and secure web ports, so there is another level of identification required to assess what applications, such as Skype, may be running on these ports.  Stonesoft and many other vendors have invested a great deal of time and effort into identifying applications such as Skype.  As the integration with Microsoft continues, it is reasonable to assume that Microsoft may change some aspects of Skype that may have ramifications for identifying it.  Vendors will have to remain focused on researching and testing any changes in Skype that may render current identification mechanisms useless.

Microsoft & Skype – Good Thing or Bad? To summarize, Stonesoft believes that this will be a great merger of two great technologies.  At the same time, it is important to critically consider the security implications when a technology like Skype is moved closer to the enterprise by a company like Microsoft, on which millions rely.  The most revealing aspects of the security implications are yet to come as we wait and see the level to which Microsoft integrates Skype technology

written by MMcKinley - 866 views

If you’ve ever been to the RSA Conference, you know it’s a whirlwind of product debuts, demos and discussion. In fact, it can be a little overwhelming. This year, Stonesoft decided to take a little time away from the chaos and have a very meaningful discussion over lunch with 20 C-level security executives representing organizations like The Washington Post Company, The Coca-Cola Company, Salesforce.com, Expedia and M&T Bank Corporation. When asked how companies should prepare for the next wave of advanced threats, the group brought up several good points:

• Data needs to be actionable. The data produced by a security solution should be succinct, clear, and ready to be investigated by the security staff. Polyglot information that provides no focus on the threat is of little value to the security team.
• Greater visibility is a must. We’ve all heard this one before, but the fact of the matter is that lack of network visibility is still a major issue for network security. If you want to prepare your network against the unknown, you need to have improved and centralized visibility into your network traffic.
• Innovation has stalled. The network security industry is rife with lack of focus and lack of research. It’s become a “quick fix” industry that responds to threats, but does little to prevent new vulnerabilities from being discovered and exploited.

What do you think?

written by heather.pritchett - 672 views

This week, Dark Reading published a revealing article on the rising cost of data breaches. Conducted by the Ponemon Institute and Symantec, a recent study of 51 large-scale U.S. data breach cases indicated that – despite advances in network security – the cost of data breaches is up for the fifth straight year in a row.

“The average organizational cost of a data breach increased to $7.2 million and cost companies an average of $214 per compromised record, markedly higher when compared to $204 in 2009, according to the researchers.”

There’s been a lot of discussion around advanced network security threats – and rightfully so. Every category of network security threats, from evasions to mobile malware, has demonstrated an uptick in sophistication and number. But, the 2010 Annual Study: U.S. Cost of a Data Breach reveals that negligence remains the most common threat to data security in the enterprise accounting for 41 percent of breaches.

No surprise there. Negligence comes in many forms and, in network security, it’s enemy number one. Device misconfiguration and mismanagement are still the greatest threat to your networks. You can install every solution under the sun, but if you fail to manage them properly, you leave your network wide open for attacks.

If organizations want to prevent data breaches, they must deploy solutions go beyond security and deliver simplified and centralized device management. Here’s how the StoneGate Management Center achieves this:

• Third-party Event Management: Delivers comprehensive visibility across your entire network including all StoneGate and other security devices, switches and routers from other vendors.
• One-step Management: Lets you proactively manage hundreds of devices as easily as one.
• Accelerated Incident Management: Helps you respond to threats faster with one common, correlated view of all activity and a powerful data-mining engine.
• Central Repository: Gives you the benefits of “create once, deploy everywhere” configurations since all components share a common element database.

How has the StoneGate Management Center simplified your network security? We want to know.

written by MMcKinley - 640 views

“The Adventures of Antti Pilvinen” - A story by the RoarinPenguin

DISCLAIMER: All facts, people and companies in this story are fictional and do not have links with any real situation.

Our friend Antti Pilvinen was experiencing a moment of maximum happiness and satisfaction: not only had he overachieved his sales quota, not only did he add many new customers to his company (APSF – Antti Pilvinen Securing Finland)… he also won the internal sales competition’s top prize! Antti was now the owner of a shiny, new iPad 64 GB 3G, including a flat rate data contract for one year. The prize was proudly delivered that morning during a beautiful ceremony on the company’s fifth floor terrace with all of his colleagues applauding that great achievement.

That warmed terrace has been the best investment of last year: a great space with all windows to enjoy the beautiful panorama in Espoo. It is just an all around classy meeting room for these nice internal events, a very nice place to be in January. Although it was mid-morning and the sun was shining, outside it was -16 Celsius and the frozen pine trees were creating an enchanted landscape. Ah, beautiful Finland!

Later in the afternoon, while the light outside was disappearing into the chilly winter night, he started daydreaming of what to do with that oh so cool jewel… ebooks, surfing the web, watching podcasts, listening to music, storing the pictures of his latest travel in Dubai, reading corporate mail… wait! WAIT! Mail? Uhmmm… that might very well be an issue, and a serious one, since APSF was very strict on mail access and security in general. Of course, he could continue to read mail using the Outlook Web interface through that marvelous StoneGate SSL VPN they bought recently but… well, iPad mail is a completely new and insanely great experience!

In addition, iPad has native support for Microsoft Exchange, the platform APSF moved to recently. Timing was just right to meet the guru of their internal systems: Juhani Kiviportti. Full of hope, he went to the internal systems department to look for that genius, who seems to have the native talent to solve all IT issues, no matter how complex they are. Juhani was the person who insisted upon adoption of the StoneGate SSL VPN, which has brought many benefits, in particular increasing the productivity of the sales team. Ubiquitous access to corporate data and applications… from anywhere… but now? Secured access to mail using iPad native exchange support? Maybe this was too much even for Juhani…

Lost in these obscure thoughts, he almost bumped into Juhani’s desktop, fully covered with every possible gadget, including a penguin coming down from the ceiling as a symbol of his “IT faith”: Linux.

With a trembling voice, he started sharing with Juhani his “happy problem”. His mood boosted suddenly when he saw a smile growing on the face of his genial colleague, who simply said: “yeah, this is a part of our SSL VPN I’m thinking to deepen… leave it with me”.

Two days later, he received the following email from Juhani:

“Hi Antti. Please proceed to configure your mail on the iPad simply by typing your email address and you should be operational within few seconds”.

With a sense of disbelief (naah, it couldn’t be that simple!), he tapped on Settings – Mail – Add Account – Microsoft Exchange on his iPad and inserted antti.pilvinen@apsf.fi. He was shocked to see a few seconds later that his iPad screen populated with… his mail messages! Suddenly (professional bias), he wanted to know everything about the security of the entire implementation so he went to see Juhani again with a bunch of question to “stress test” him.

Antti: “How did you do it? This is… magic!!!”

Juhani: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic…”

Antti: “Seriously… is this secure?”

Juhani: “Of course, thanks to the StoneGate SSL VPN support of secure Active Sync with Device ID Locking in case of loss or theft of the device. Plus, I registered your iPad on Apple MobileMe free service as an additional security measure”.

Antti: “I’m astonished! And you did this in two days?”

Juhani: “Well… no… yesterday I was on holiday.”

Antti: “WOW! And is it working only for iPad?”

Juhani: “That’s the best part of it! You have been the Proof of Concept. The configuration we implemented will allow every device in the company supporting Microsoft Exchange to access email in a secure and authenticated way: Nokia phones, Android phone, iPhone, iPad… all of them… with complete mail, calendar and contacts synchronization. We have reached complete client independence from the mail server!!!”

Antti: “Fantastic! Awesome! Thank you very much for this!”

Juhani “You are very welcome”.

The best part for Juhani Kiviportti came at the end of that month… when he saw a special bonus in his salary with one comment:“To the person who brought APSF to Secure Mail Nirvana! A.P.”

written by RoarinPenguin - 788 views \\ tags: iPad, MS Exchange, SSL VPN, The Adventures of Antti Pilvinen

Are you attending RSA Conference 2011 next week? We are. And, if you are too, we’d like see you. Here are 5 reasons why you should stop by booth 2533:

• CINEMA: AETs Explored. Virtual Patching is a thing of the past. Learn about Advanced Evasion Techniques (AETs) – their evolution, impact and potential to transform the landscape of network security. Find out why this is important to you and what you can do about it.
• CONTEST: Can You Break the Code? Tuesday and Wednesday, every two hours, 8 people will battle it out to see who can break a Master Lock code the fastest. All participants will walk home with a Master Lock, but only one will get a prize. Prizes include: an Apple TV, a Flip Video™, a variety of $100 gift cards and more.
• RAFFLE: Not a Codebreaker? Whether you compete in our “Can You Break the Code” contest or not, be sure to stop by booth 2533 to register for a chance to win one of our great prizes.
• ICSA: Meet Up: We told you about this last week. If you want to have a one-on-one conversation with ICSA Labs about the latest security threats and how to address them, schedule a meeting here.
• DEMO: StoneGate Firewall/VPN, IPS, SMC and more: Experience a hands-on, real-time, physical demonstration of Stonesoft’s solutions. See firsthand why Stonesoft’s reliability, ease-of-use, innovation and availability have made us the most trusted name in resilient, always-on security solutions.

written by heather.pritchett - 695 views