Re: Important Comments re: INtrusion Detection

[mcnabb () argus-systems com (Paul McNabb)]

>  Date: Mon, 16 Feb 1998 19:50:08 -0500 (EST)
>  From: "Paul D. Robertson" <proberts () clark net>
>  
>  On Sun, 15 Feb 1998, Aleph One wrote:
>  
>  > Nonetheless, I'd like to see OS and firewalls vendors integrate these
>  > features into their products (particularly capabilities and MACs). Secure
>  > Computing is to be commended for using some of this (or similar)
>  > technology on their Sidewinder firewall. Harris as well for the
>  > CyberGuard firewall running in a B1 operating system. HP also has a secure
>  > web server product running under a secure version of HP-UX. To bad that
>  
>  It got spun off as Cyberguard Corp. and I *think* they dropped the B1 OS
>  recently and switched to BSDI.
>  
>  BDM is currently also doing Cybershield with the "under evaluation" DG/UX
>  B2 product.  
>  
>  > that version is compleatly different from CMW HP-UX which is developed by
>  > a different team. A waste of efforts if you ask me. Of curse these
>  > products vary a lot on how well integrated they are and how much use
>  > they make of the features of the underlaying secure OS but it is a trend
>  > I'd like so see on the rise.

There have been several versions of firewalls run on the Argus B1 Solaris
2.5.1 system, such as Checkpoint, on both SPARC and x86 platforms.  This
point has been covered before on this list, but the value of a trusted OS
(e.g., B1) sitting under (or over) a firewall depends on the way the
firewall is built and administered.  There are many companies out there
that have mandated that all firewalls at their site be run on a trusted
OS with a minimum of B1.  The number of such companies is increasing,
but I suspect that it will always remain a minority of the market.
B1+FW is an attractive product for many environments, particularly sites
with a lot at risk, but it isn't for everyone.

paul

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Paul McNabb                     Argus Systems Group, Inc.
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