Internet Security Systems is expanding its security services to include a managed desktop firewall that employs signatures and behavior to stop viruses, worms and other attacks before they infect business networks.
Called Managed Protection Service for Desktop Firewalls, the service consists of ISS assisting to deploy Proventia Desktop software on customer machines, then manage and maintain it.
Proventia Desktop includes a personal firewall, intrusion prevention, application controls, VPN support, Virus Prevention System (VPS), and Buffer Overflow Exploit Prevention (BOEP).
These features combine to help prevent laptops used outside corporate settings from spreading malicious code when they are plugged back into corporate networks, ISS says.
Proventia Desktop, which was released last month, can whitelist and blacklist applications to help limit the chance of malicious code executing on machines. It can also check that anti-virus software is updated.
VPS is behavioral anti-virus software that prevents executables from running on a computer if they violate security policies. So if the software detected an executable modifying files across an operating system at run time or replacing existing registry files, it would block it.
BOEP monitors the memory space of a machine looking for buffers filling up. If they fill beyond set limits, BOEP shuts the machine down, requiring a reboot, but also gives users a chance to save any work before doing so. Once rebooted, someone has to figure out what was causing the overflow and remove it.
The software reports to ISS’s X-Force security team and ISS gives customers reports via Web portal about what exploits have been blocked. ISS takes care of installing updates, patches and service packs to the Proventia Desktop clients.
ISS provides a list of attacks that it guarantees will not compromise customer machines that are under the managed service. The list stands at more than 600 and is growing as more exploits are identified.
The cost of the service is based on the number of software agents being managed. A 500-user license costs $2,500 per month for a one-year contract, $2,000 for a three-year contract. 100,000 desktops costs $37,000 per month for a one-year contract, $30,000 per month for a three-year contract.
