Recent articles by Peter Stephenson
Review: Bitdefender GravityZone
This sounds a bit like one of those inflatable toys at local fairs inside of which children bounce around, or perhaps some science fiction environment that surrounds a planet. Actually, although it is neither, it has some similar characteristics.
May 3 2013 12:13PM
Security
Review: Symantec Critical System Protection
The notion of wrappers has been with us for a long time. Back in the early days of Unix and Linux, we used wrappers to provide security to not-so-secure applications, such as telnet. Today that concept has matured and we see it popping up in modern apps. Symantec CSP is a good example. One might characterise CSP as a security wrapper for mission-critical environments. That means that if it is a crucial piece of the computing infrastructure - such as a Scada system or a medical device controller - it gets the security protection it needs.
May 2 2013 2:08PM
Security
Review: GFI LanGuard 2012
GFI LanGuard 2012 offers a full set of vulnerability scanning and management features. It brings together vulnerability scanning, remediation and patch management, as well as network and software auditing, all under one roof. LanGuard is software-based and can be installed on almost any Microsoft Windows machine in the enterprise environment and can scan Windows, Linux/Unix and Mac OS targets on the network.
May 2 2013 12:18PM
Security
Review: Core Impact Professional
The people at Core Security are at it again. We found this version of the product to contain more automation, more wizards and more options than previous versions we have tested. For those that are unfamiliar with this tool, Core Impact is quickly becoming the standard in penetration testing and vulnerability scanning. It features many types of penetration tests, including network-based and remote host-based, as well as many other tools, including Wi-Fi network and web-based penetration tests.
May 2 2013 12:16PM
Security
Review: Critical Watch FusionVM
FusionVM from Critical Watch offers both vulnerability management and configuration policy auditing in either a physical or virtual appliance or as a full, cloud-based SaaS option. If the SaaS option is chosen, customers can receive external scanning without any additional hardware or software needed. If scanning internally, the customer must install an appliance that connects to the cloud service for scanning.
May 2 2013 12:14PM
Security
Review: ManageEngine Security Manager Plus v5.5
ManageEngine Security Manager Plus (Professional Edition) is a network security scanner that proactively reports on network vulnerabilities and helps to remediate them and ensure compliance. With vulnerability scanning, open ports detection, patch management, Windows file/folder/registry change management and vulnerability reporting capabilities, the tool protects the network from security threats and malicious attacks.
May 2 2013 12:12PM
Security
Review: NetVigilance Internal Scan - Cloud
Internal Scan - Cloud edition from netVigilance offers a full cloud-based vulnerability scanning engine that can scan both internal and external systems for vulnerabilities and compliance. This solution is based entirely in the cloud, so there is no need for the purchase of any additional hardware. All that is required is the installation of the scanning agent on a Microsoft Windows-based machine somewhere on the internal network.
May 2 2013 12:10PM
Security
Review: Retina CS
Retina CS from BeyondTrust offers up quite a few strong features for vulnerability management throughout the enterprise. This solution provides discovery and remediation of security risks and vulnerabilities based on priority and severity. It offers the usual vulnerability scanning and assessment functions, but takes this a step further by adding context to those vulnerabilities, which brings in some risk management functionality alongside that of vulnerability management.
May 2 2013 12:04PM
Security
Review: Secunia VIM v4.0
Secunia VIM is a real-time vulnerability intelligence and management tool, providing organisations with the necessary information required to analyse vulnerabilities in their IT infrastructure, as well as track them from a centralised dashboard interface.
May 2 2013 11:55AM
Security
Review: Deepnet DualShield
Multi-factor authentication is easy to do for workstation and server logins, but what about your web-based applications? With its DualShield product, Deepnet Security offers a solution that can add that extra layer of security to those applications - at a very reasonable price point.
Apr 24 2013 1:51PM
Security
Review: DigitalPersona Pro Enterprise
Large-scale deployment of multi-factor authentication services is a complex undertaking, and the administration of those services can prove problematic for administrators. DigitalPersona has put a great deal of thought into this, and as long as you're using Active Directory, its Pro Enterprise product may just be the solution.
Apr 23 2013 3:57PM
Security
Review: Entrust IdentityGuard
A big name in the digital certificate and identity space, Entrust should be a name familiar to all security consultants, and with good reason. With its IdentityGuard product, Entrust integrates physical and logical, mobile and cloud security, all at a surprisingly low price.
Apr 23 2013 3:54PM
Security
Review: Imation Defender F200 Biometric Flash Drive
Protecting company data within the corporate network is one thing, but what happens when you need to take that data on the road? Imation offers a simple product that makes it easy to securely fulfil that need: the Defender F200 Biometric Flash Drive.
Apr 23 2013 3:32PM
Security
Review: PhoneFactor
Companies looking for a turnkey out-of-band authentication solution need look no further than PhoneFactor. It is, quite simply, one of the easiest to implement multi-factor authentication solutions we've ever seen. It is a hosted solution, however, which may be a turn-off to some administrators.
Apr 23 2013 3:29PM
Security
