Skip Links

Network World

  • Social Web 
  • Email 
  • Close
073007-nac-test-banner.html
Clear Choice Test: NAC
NAC alternatives hit the mark | NetResults | Test archive
Inside this test package
13 product summaries
Main story links

Trend Micro Network VirusWall NAC hones in outbreak prevention

By Mandy Andress , Network World , 07/30/2007
  • Share/Email
  • Comment
  • Print

Trend Micro Network VirusWall

Cost: $24,995

Score: 3.53

Trend Micro’s Network VirusWall Enforcer focuses on outbreak prevention -- identifying and preventing malware outbreaks – which makes sense since the company has a long history in that segment of the security market.

The appliance sits in-line on the network, monitoring all packets for malicious traffic and assessing endpoints for both active infections and key vulnerabilities that could lead to infection. Trend Micro’s offering is similar to those shipping from ForeScout and ConSentry, but those products provide more in-depth functionality in intrusion prevention, such as anomaly detection and analysis on full traffic streams. Trend Micro focuses on virus outbreaks.

VirusWall appliances can run a primary/secondary pair for availability. It can also fail open to allow network traffic to continue to pass in the event of a device failure. Management is available on the appliance using a Web GUI, or Trend Micro offers a centralized management program called Control Manager, which can drive multiple VirusWall devices.

Endpoints that are not in compliance with set policy can be placed in quarantine, where traffic to and from the endpoint is blocked except for traffic explicitly allowed by policy, such as the ability to access the URL to receive the missing software.

User authentication is supported against the standard user repositories in Active Directory and Lightweight Directory Authentication Protocol. For testing, we configured the VirusWall to authenticate users against our Active Directory database without issue.

Guests are defined as a nonauthenticated users, and therefore you can define a more restrictive set of access policies than what is allowed for the general, trusted user population. Assessment policies are defined to apply either to an authenticated or nonauthenticated user. You are unable to select both options within the policy GUI, so if you have a policy that needs to apply to both groups of users, you need to define the policy twice. If, for example, you want to have both groups running antivirus software, but then only authenticated users to have a specific registry key in place.

In a Trend Micro NAC deployment, groups are defined based on physical interface, IP address, MAC address, or virtual-LAN assignment. NAC policies are based on these VirusWall-specific groups, not a user’s group as defined in Active Directory, which is a management drawback

  • Share/Email
  • Comment
  • Print
Partner Content

Brilliantly simple security and control solutions for email, web and endpoint

www.sophos.com

Stopping data leakage

Learn how to exploit your current security investment to control the information that flows into, through and out of your network.

Download the white paper.

Why detection rates aren't enough

Evaluating endpoint security products is a time-consuming and daunting task. Learn the six critical questions you need to ask prospective vendors to get the right endpoint solution.

Download the white paper.

Applications: taking back control

Employees installing unauthorized applications is a growing threat to business security and productivity. Cost-effectively reduce this threat by integrating control into your malware protection.

Learn more today.

Comment
Login
Forgot your account info?
Add comment
Anonymous comments subject to approval. Register here for member benefits.
Have a NetworkWorld account? Log in here. Register now for a free account.

Videos

rssRss Feed
Get instant email notification when white papers, webcasts, executive guides are added to our library. Stay informed and up-to-date with the latest on IT Technologies with Network World's Resource Alerts.
Network World,to go. Wherever you are. Breaking news delivered to your mobile device. Select the hottest topics in networking and start receiving Network World on your mobile device today.