eSoft introduces threatWall web security gateway

COLARADO: eSoft, Inc.,  vendor of integrated Internet security solutions, has announced the availability of its new ThreatWall Web Security Gateways, a line of hardware-based appliances that provide URL filtering, web content filtering, malware detection, IM/P2P management, web server/browser protection and web application protection to organisations of all sizes.

Where the universe of web security used to hover around simple URL filtering and malware detection, new web-based technologies such as AJAX and Web 2.0, as well as web-enabled applications and the movement to Software as a Service (SaaS), have introduced new and sophisticated threat vectors into the network. Therefore, many of today’s existing web security solutions have become ineffective in dealing with these modern application- and web-based threats.

eSoft’s ThreatWall Web Security Gateways combine web infrastructure and application security, along with the classic functions of URL filtering, malware detection and IM/P2P management, into a single solution. This is enabled by eSoft’s proprietary bi-modal scanning technology, which combines proxy-based scanning (providing URL filtering and malware detection) with real-time packet-based scanning (providing web server/browser security, IM/P2P security and application-layer Intrusion Prevention) to generate one of the industry’s most powerful web security solutions.

“With the ability to host Anti-Spam on the same device, the eSoft WSG has anticipated what is likely to be a growing integration trend in content security appliances,” said Jeff Wilson, Principal Analyst of Network Security at Infonetics Research.

“It’s a new Wild West in the land of web security,” said Scott Lukes, eSoft’s VP of Marketing and Product Management. “Between the new applications, new delivery vehicles and talented hackers with strong financial motivations, we have entered a phase of unprecedented web vulnerability. eSoft has engineered the most comprehensive solution to protect the organisation.”

Product Features

Policy-Based Web Monitoring and Filtering: Enforces and monitors web site usage on an individual user’s or group basis and by a day/time schedule. When integrated with Active Directory, users are transparently authenticated and assigned the appropriate web access policy. Detailed reporting capabilities provide a convenient way to summarise and report on actual usage.

Web Infrastructure and Web Application Attack Protection: Scans all web-based traffic for signs of attack on web servers, web browsers and web-enabled applications. It uses both signature-based scanning for known attacks, as well as anomaly detection and heuristics for zero-day variants. Automatic logging, alarming and threat summary reports keep the IT manager

in control of the web infrastructure.

Comprehensive Malware Detection: Protects against Viruses, Spyware, Trojans, and other forms of blended attack. Powered by eSoft’s Reputation Services, the system automatically scans for bot-nets and Zombies, ensuring that network resources have not been compromised.

IM and P2P Control: Monitors and enforces access to IM and P2P services, protecting the organisation from risks and enhancing employee productivity. Policy can be set on a coarse ‘all on/off’ basis or by service type (e.g. allow Jabber IM communications but not MSN or AOL).