Internet security software company Check Point (Nasdaq: CHKP) today unveiled its new Application Intelligence technology, designed to address a new breed of sophisticated and dangerous application-driven attacks.
The new technology will be integrated into Check Point’s latest version of its product suite, Check Point Next Generation with Application Intelligence. The company says the solution will provide customers with the industry's only comprehensive, integrated security solution for defeating and preventing both network-level and application-level attacks.
According to Check Point, hackers are developing more sophisticated attacks that are application-driven, such as Slammer, Code Red and Nimda. Check Point argues that because of the shift in attack methodology, firewalls should provide not only access control and network-level attack protection, but also sophisticated intelligence on application behavior to protect against attacks and exploits.
“While other firewalls protect against some network attacks, Check Point is the only vendor to extend the firewall to integrate comprehensive defenses for both application and network attacks,” Check Point said.
The new product suite can be ordered immediately and will ship June 3rd, Check Point says.
Last week, Merrill Lynch reported that Check Point’s new product could answer investor concerns surrounding the company’s long-term product vision.
Analyst Ed Maguire said he thought the product would counter initiatives from NetScreen, Symantec, ISS and others to bundle advanced intrusion prevention capabilities onto a gateway firewall/VPN device.
Check Point chairman and CEO Gil Shwed said, "As we did with the firewall and VPN, Check Point is once again changing the Internet security landscape with Application Intelligence. By evolving enterprise firewalls into multi-layer security gateways, we are elevating attack protection to a new level and reinforcing the role of the firewall as the primary network security enforcement point.”
Shwed continued, "This represents the next major step in Check Point's evolution as the leading Internet security provider and a key component in our direction moving forward. None of our competitors can deliver what we can today."
META Group Technology Research Services senior program director Mark Bouchard said, “Network-layer security mechanisms dominate current deployments but are proving insufficient in the face of more frequent application-layer attacks. This condition requires that vendors and users alike increase their focus on application-oriented security controls. One approach would be to integrate intelligence at the application level directly into firewall products. This is the approach that Check Point is taking, and it has the significant advantage of enabling organizations to enhance their security capabilities without having to purchase multiple products."
Published by Globes [online] - www.globes.co.il - on 12 May, 2003