Security » Reviews »

  • Wipe it free: secure wiping software

    When it comes retiring PCs at the office or at home, regardless of whether their final destination is a tip or to be sold to recover an investment, it goes without saying that a computer's drives need to be wiped. For the corporate environment, you're going to want to make sure no sensitive data is left behind however benign, and for the home you don't want leave any trace of personal details or credit card transactions that could be picked up and used in identify theft.

    Written by Ashton Mills • 03 April 12 10:24

  • Content Filtering Technologies Overview

    Network and Internet Content Filtering (ICF) is a technology tied to controversy. The technology itself is extremely interesting and evolving rapidly, but it is the debate around how this technology should be implemented that evokes passionate argument. Be it teenagers at home or employees in the workplace, the scenarios and ethical implications are still to be unravelled.

    Written by Enex Testlab • 14 July 11 19:57

  • Unified Threat Management Device Roundup

    Cyber-attacks are constantly evolving and the attack methods used are constantly adapting. In a similar way, the traditional layers of defence have grown increasingly complex and interrelated. The convergence of security technologies to a single appliance; the Unified Threat Management (UTM) device is a logical approach and can go a long way towards managing security in most organisations.

    Written by Enex Testlab • 15 July 11 10:19

  • The security suite guide 2010

    Just a few short years ago, all a PC needed for protection was a basic antivirus program to guard against any malware that arrived via an e-mail attachment, embedded in a shareware application or piggy-backed on a floppy disk.

    Written by Frank J. Ohlhorst • 18 Aug. 10 08:54
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    Antivirus software: The verdict

    Protecting your computer against Trojans, worms and other invisible exploits is a must in today’s tech landscape. But knowing which antivirus software will offer the best protection without the added extras can be as easy as navigating your way through the streets, eyes closed. With hundreds of antivirus programs available, finding the right software is no easy feat.

    Written by Annie Dang • 25 Nov. 09 17:50
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    WatchGuard Firebox Peak X5500e firewall

    WatchGuard's Firebox Peak X5500e is a strong, manageable firewall and the fastest in our test, but complexity and weak attack protection hold it back

    Written by Brian Chee and Curtis Franklin Jr. • 11 Nov. 09 11:30

  • Product review: Application whitelisting

    Our colleagues over at InfoWorld took a look at six of the top application whitelisting solutions in the market.

    Written by Computerworld Staff • 06 Nov. 09 12:30

  • Application whitelisting in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2

    Microsoft's AppLocker, the application control feature included in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, is an improvement on the Software Restriction Policies (SRP) introduced with Windows XP Professional. AppLocker allows application execution rules and exceptions to them to be defined based on file attributes such as path, publisher, product name, file name, file version, and so on. Policies can then be assigned to computers, users, security groups, and organizational units through Active Directory.

    Written by Roger A. Grimes • 06 Nov. 09 12:21

  • Application whitelisting review: CoreTrace Bouncer

    CoreTrace's Bouncer 5 is application control and more. Bouncer is the only product in InfoWorld's review that successfully protected against buffer overflows. It also offers unique write protection of whitelisted files and does a nice job of handling updates to controlled applications.

    Written by Roger A. Grimes • 04 Nov. 09 22:13

  • Application whitelisting review: Bit9 Parity Suite

    As many product vendors can readily tell you, this reviewer is the ultimate computer security cynic and a tough writer to please. I'm unsparingly critical of overhyped products. Although I've evaluated a number of excellent products over the years, I've never given a perfect 10 in any scorecard category -- until now. Bit9 Parity is one of the few computer security products that, if deployed in your Windows environment, will radically and immediately reduce your enterprise's level of security risk. It's not perfect, and it did not score a perfect 10 in every field -- but it earned the highest score this reviewer has ever given.

    Written by Roger A. Grimes • 04 Nov. 09 22:13

  • Application whitelisting review: McAfee Application Control

    McAfee Application Control 5.0 (due out Dec. 15) is the result of McAfee's acquisition of Solidcore and the integration of Solidcore S3 Control with McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator (ePO). McAfee Application Control rivals SignaCert for the broadest client support among all the products in InfoWorld's review. It also boasts write protection and ownership protection of whitelisted files, good reporting and alerting, and no significant cons.

    Written by Roger A. Grimes • 04 Nov. 09 22:13

  • Application whitelisting review: SignaCert Enterprise Trust Services

    SignaCert was one of the first whitelisting products available, and it now boasts more than 1 billion predefined file signatures as part of its Global Trust Repository service. It also offers file authenticity ratings, wide platform support, extensibility through XML, and excellent documentation. SignaCert's significant weakness is that it does not natively block file executions -- the only product in InfoWorld's review that does not include this ability as a standard feature.

    Written by Roger A. Grimes • 04 Nov. 09 22:13

  • Application whitelisting review: Lumension Application Control

    Lumension Application Control is a strong whitelisting solution with broad file coverage, excellent reporting, and a complete set of Windows file definitions that can be used to spot potentially troublesome changes to system files. Its one noteworthy shortcoming is the inability to create whitelisting rules based on the digital signatures of application publishers.

    Written by Roger A. Grimes • 04 Nov. 09 22:13
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    Norton Internet Security 2010 beta: Different approach, new features, some glitches

    The just-released beta of Symantec's Norton Internet Security 2010 is more notable for what's under the hood than what you actually see. However, if you're planning to try it out, you'd better not do it on your main PC -- this is not only a beta release, but a temporary one as well. Currently, the installed beta says that it is good for only 14 days.

    Written by Preston Gralla • 08 July 09 09:11

  • ZyXel ZyWall

    Of the four UTMs we tested, ZyXel's ZyWall USG1000 is by far the most affordable.

    Written by Brian Chee and Curtis Franklin Jr. • 23 June 09 11:30
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    Microsoft NAP: NAC for the rest of us?

    Microsoft NAP is an effective network gatekeeper for Windows endpoints, but initial configuration is complex, policies are basic, and reporting is absent. NAP is best used as a core technology deployed in combination with others for a more complete, manageable, and scalable solution.

    Written by Stephen Hultquist • 15 May 09 06:41

  • Symantec Norton Utilities 14

    Symantec bills Norton Utilities as a way to keep Windows PCs running longer by sprucing up their performance.

    Written by Wayne Rash • 17 April 09 12:20

  • PicturePIN-XP password manager

    The mind can accurately recall pre-selected areas on an image, even quite a complex image, more reliably than it can a sequence of numbers and characters, or so it is said by the makers of a new password management application, PicturePIN-XP.

    Written by John E. Dunn • 21 April 09 14:50
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    KeePassX: a free password manager for Linux, Mac and Windows

    If you're finding it impossible to keep up with the multitude of passwords required to use computers and the Internet then why not try a password manager like KeePassX. It works with Windows, Mac OS X and Linux and keeps login data and other sensitive information in an encrypted database.

    Written by Rodney Gedda • 10 March 09 15:52

  • Two tenacious exploits debunk vendor claims

    Many sandbox security vendors claim that their products stop all known and unknown attacks. Even assuming the ability to curtail all known attacks could be proven, it's simply impossible to believe that any piece of software could halt all unknown attacks. Of course, that doesn't prevent the vendors from making empty promises or the malware authors from proving them wrong.

    Written by Roger A. Grimes • 01 Oct. 08 09:24
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