Secure Computing Announces Sidewinder First Firewall to be Evaluated for Highest Common Criteria Assurance Level.Business Editors/High-Tech Writers SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 12, 2001 Evaluation Against Most Rigorous Criteria Further Demonstrates Premier Level of Security with Sidewinder sidewinder, common name for a rattlesnake, Crotalus cerastes, found in the deserts of the SW United States. This 2-ft (60-cm), pale yellow and pink snake is named for its curious method of locomotion. Secure Computing Corporation (Nasdaq:SCUR), the leading provider of enterprise access control software and services, today announced that Sidewinder(TM) is the first firewall to be accepted into a Common Criteria evaluation by the National Information Assurance Partnership (NIAP See Common Criteria. ) at an Evaluation Assurance Level The Evaluation Assurance Level (EAL1 through EAL7) of an IT product or system is a numerical grade assigned following the completion of a Common Criteria security evaluation, an international standard in effect since 1999. 4+ (EAL EAL English as an Additional Language EAL Evaluation Assurance Level EAL Eastern Airlines EAL Emergency Action Level EAL Environmental Analysis Laboratory EAL Evidence Analysis Library (American Dietetic Association) 4+). EAL4+, also known as "EAL4 Augmented, is the highest assurance level currently submitted for evaluation of firewalls through Common Criteria Testing Laboratories (CCTL CCTL Common Criteria Testing Laboratory (private laboratory, certified to conduct IT product Security Assessments for Information Assurance) CCTL Coordinator Control Subsystem ), putting Sidewinder in a class by itself as the most robust firewall solution available. Secure Computing expects that Sidewinder will be awarded an EAL4+ Common Criteria certificate in the fourth quarter of 2001. Sidewinder will be the first firewall tested against the most stringent U.S. Department of Defense protection profile for application-level firewalls, which defines the security requirements for firewalls used by U.S. government organizations for handling mission-critical information. This protection profile includes the EAL5-level vulnerability analysis and rigorous penetration testing by the U.S. Government under the direction of NIAP. The evaluation is being performed by Computer Sciences Corporation (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :CSC) in Annapolis Junction, Md. "Sidewinder has always had a reputation as the most secure firewall on the market," said Mike Gallagher, vice president and general manager of the Network Security Division at Secure Computing. "Over the last several years, we have put a focused effort on also making it the most feature rich firewall in the marketplace. Sidewinder's extensive management, performance, and reliability, combined with our ability to be the first firewall gaining EAL4+ certificate acceptance, puts Sidewinder in a leadership position for any application requiring a firewall, and the clear leader, for demanding, security conscious, firewall deployments." Sidewinder is the world's strongest firewall, and with its powerful VPN (Virtual Private Network) A private network that is configured within a public network (a carrier's network or the Internet) in order to take advantage of the economies of scale and management facilities of large networks. gateway delivers an impenetrable network shield without sacrificing ease of use, reliability and scalability. In a recent $100,000 e-Security Challenge, Sidewinder withstood the attacks from the most skilled hackers and was not compromised. Sidewinder's hybrid architecture combines stateful inspection, application filtering, IPSec-certified VPN and real-time intrusion alerts into one simple software package that runs on low-cost Intel(R) hardware. At the hardened core of Sidewinder is SecureOS(TM), a performance-optimized, highly secure operating system The term "secure operating system" is a misnomer. Relevant articles include:
About Common Criteria Common Criteria represents the outcome of a series of efforts to develop criteria for evaluation of IT security products that are broadly useful within the international community. Common Criteria's inputs and evolution came out of the USA's Trusted Computer System Evaluation Criteria Trusted Computer System Evaluation Criteria (TCSEC) is a United States Government Department of Defense (DoD) standard that sets basic requirements for assessing the effectiveness of computer security controls built into a computer system. (TCSEC See NCSC. ), also referred to as the "Orange Book", Europe's Information Technology Security Evaluation Criteria (ITSEC See NCSC. ) and the Canadian Trusted Computer Product Evaluation Criteria (CTCPEC CTCPEC Canadian Trusted Computer Product Evaluation Criteria ). Within Common Criteria, there are staggered certification levels called Evaluation Assurance Levels (EALs). For additional information on Common Criteria or EALs, visit their web site at http://www.commoncriteria.org. About Secure Computing Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., Secure Computing Corporation (Nasdaq:SCUR) is the leading provider of enterprise access control software and services. Secure Computing software products and services control access to applications and networks based on user authentication and authorization to market-leading VPNs, firewalls, Web servers and embedded devices. Secure Computing's worldwide partners and customer base are counted among the Fortune 50 in financial services, healthcare, telecom, communications, manufacturing, technology and Internet service providers Internet service provider (ISP) Company that provides Internet connections and services to individuals and organizations. For a monthly fee, ISPs provide computer users with a connection to their site (see data transmission), as well as a log-in name and password. , as well as some of the largest agencies of the United States government. For more information, visit the Secure Computing Web site at www.securecomputing.com. This press release contains forward-looking statements relating to Common Criteria Evaluation Assurance Level 4+ (EAL4+) by the National Information Assurance Partnership (NIAP) for Sidewinder, and the expected benefits of such evaluation and anticipated certification, and such statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements are competitive pressures, technical difficulties, changes in customer requirements, delays in product development, undetected software errors or bugs, general economic conditions and the risk factors detailed from time to time in Secure Computing's periodic reports and registration statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Note to Editors: All trademarks, trade names or service marks used or mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. |
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