Desktop Firewall

The Symantec Desktop Firewall 2.0 is an intrusion prevention product for remote workers. The desktop firewall prevents hackers from gaining access to corporate networks through remote systems, and defends organizations from involuntary involvement in Distributed Denial of Service (DoS) attacks. It is also a key component of the company's Enterprise Security - a comprehensive, multi-tier and modular Internet security solution for enterprise computing environments.

The desktop firewall is compatible with the leading Virtual Private Network (VPN) solutions, giving administrators the flexibility to select the VPN that best meets the company's security objectives. The firewall automatically configures itself with a complete set of rules tailored for the specific applications on each individual system. This functionality speeds deployment of the firewall and minimizes user interaction.

The product also provides administrators flexible and easy manageability, allowing them to leverage systems they already have in place. It supports Microsoft System Management Server (SMS), login-scripts, and Web-based installation-to install and manage the desktop firewall.

The product blocks hackers by controlling all Internet connections to and from the remote user's computer. It provides security for remote PCs, "hiding" the user's PC and utilizing other methods to guard against common hacking techniques. Alerts and a detailed log enable users to determine the source of questionable connections. To guard against Trojan horses sending information to a hacker-or legitimate applications sending reports of the user's activities to a Web site without permission-users can also specify which applications can and cannot access the Internet.

Remote users can indicate which information on their systems should remain private and the desktop firewall will alert them if they attempt to send that information to an unsecured Web site. The product can also prevent web servers from retrieving remote users' e-mail addresses or other potentially sensitive information in the background while they're completing other tasks over the Internet.

Remote corporate users can use the product to prevent Web sites from tracking their online activities. The firewall can be configured to block cookies on a site-by-site basis and to block the automatic downloading of Java applets and ActiveX controls.

Symantec Corporation, 10201 Torre Avenue, Cupertino, CA 95014. Tel: 408-253-9600; Fax: 408-973-9340.