Check Point Software Technologies Inc, Ramat-Gan, Israel is due to launch version 3.0 of its Firewall-1 network security software in the first week of February, offering more content-aware features, including anti-virus protection, URL screening and Java security. Version 3.0 provides content security for the HTTP, SMTP and FTP protocols, and for each connection established through a Firewall-1 server the network administrator is able to control specific access according to fields that belong to the specific services: URLs, filenames, FTP commands and types of requests. A new CVP Content Vectoring Protocol is said to enable the integration of external and third-party content screening software in a ‘plug-in’ manner. The CVP was developed with and supported by content security vendors Cheyenne Software Inc, Integralis Inc, McAfee Associates Inc, Symantec Corp and Trend Micro Inc. Firewall-1 3.0 adds to 2.1’s capability to block Java applets entirely by allowing selective filtering of applets through the firewall to protect against the most common and other known Java network attacks. Checkpoint’s Firewall-1 product aims to offer its users full and quick network connections for all applications and protocols, at full bandwidth speeds and without needing a massive server. Check Point says it can offer this as a result of its Stateful Multi-layer Inspection technology, which was developed in conjunction with the Israeli Government. The technology enables Firewall 1 to make an ‘intelligent’ decision about the content of the packet, and that once a connection is allowed, it is monitored for the full life of that connection.
