Secure Your System

Build comprehensive firewall protection with CyberwallPLUS 6.0.

• By Barry Shilmover
• December 01, 2000

Today, computer security is a hot topic within most organizations. With more organizations targeted by hackers and other unscrupulous types, many IT/IS departments are implementing firewall solutions. CyberwallPLUS 6.0 is the first distributed host-resident firewall on the market for Windows NT/Win2K.

CyberwallPLUS 6.0 is actually made up of four distinct products: CyberwallPLUS-SV for servers, CyberwallPLUS-WS for workstations, CyberwallPLUS-AP for the enterprise, and CyberwallPLUS-IP for the perimeter. Because space here is limited, I examined only CyberwallPLUS-SV and CyberwallPLUS-WS for this review.

Because it employs an intuitive user interface, creating authorized and unauthorized nodes with CyberwallPLUS is simple.

CyberwallPLUS-SV is designed to run on NT 4.0 Server, Win2K Server, and Win2K Advanced Server. It allows the administrator to log all incoming and outgoing connections and intrusion attempts, recognizes and protects some 4,500 protocols, and identifies suspicious network activities.

CyberwallPLUS-WS is designed to run on NT 4.0 Workstation and Win2K Professional. This application can prevent the workstation user from employing unauthorized applications on the internal network. These can include Telnet and port scanners, plus programs and games such as Napster and Doom.

CyberwallPLUS-WS can be deployed in “headless” format. This hides the user interface from the user and allows the administrator to remotely configure and control the firewall. Installation is simple. After a system reboot, an administrator simply has to click on the “Start Filter Engine” button and the firewall is running. Configuring the server is equally as easy. One of the features I like best is the software’s built-in security policies, such as Microsoft NetBIOS Server Security and Microsoft Exchange Server Security, which make firewall configuration straightforward. With a simple security policy selection, CyberwallPLUS reconfigures its rules to perform a different security task. What’s more, changing the security template changes the firewall rules on the spot, without the need to reboot the server.

CyberwallPLUS’ graphical user interface makes administration a cinch. Informing the firewall of the authorized and unauthorized systems on the network is easy using the application interface’s Nodes section. Once again, no reboot is required when modifying the node lists. In addition, the software has built-in tools to detect, stop, and report a wide range of network attacks, including SYN Flood, Ping Flood, and Smurf-based attacks. You can control the actions to be taken when an attack is detected.

CyberwallPLUS allows easy control of hacker attacks.

With its flexible pricing structure, CyberwallPLUS can be considerably cheaper than other firewall solutions, making it an attractive option for securing workstations, servers, and networks. This product is loaded with features and well worth looking at for your organization.