Release Information: Secure Computing

Release Information

SmartFilter 4.2.1

Secure Computing is pleased to announce the availability of SmartFilter 4.2.1. SmartFilter 4.2.1 includes a new pass-by deployment option called SmartFilter Web Inspector. Using Web Inspector, you can set up SmartFilter to passively monitor and filter all HTTP and HTTPS Web traffic generated from within the network. The setup requires minimal changes to the existing network infrastructure without the need to integrate a third-party Web proxy, Web cache, or firewall. SmartFilter Web Inspector is supported on Windows platforms.

Additional fixes and enhancements for SmartFilter 4.2.1 include:

Enhancements

  • Uncategorized URLs Policy: Added the ability to customize block and warn pages and configure actions for uncategorized URLs.
  • Block All Policy: Added the ability to customize block pages for the Block All Policy.
  • Global Block List: Added the ability to customize block pages for the Global Block List.
  • Directory Server Address Length: Increased maximum directory server hostname length to 255 characters within both the Authentication server and all plugins.
  • User Group Name Length: Increased maximum user group name length to 128 characters.
Summary of fixes
  • Administration Console: Fixed issues with category mappings seen when managing SmartFilter 4.1.x and 4.0.x plugin policies.
  • Administration Server: Patterns now use the categories from XL Internet Database (Category Set 1).
  • Microsoft ISA: Corrects an issue where the SmartFilter plugin may cause ISA system instability if a configuration deployment occurs while the server is experiencing heavy load.
  • For a list of additional fixes included with SmartFilter 4.2.1, please see the Release Notes.
New plugin support
  • SmartFilter Web Inspector
  • Check Point FireWall-1 NGX R65
  • Squid 2.6 Stable 17
  • Sun Java System Web Proxy Server 4.0.6
New platform support
  • Red Hat Enterprise Server version 5.1
  • Windows 2003 Server SP2

SmartFilter 4.2

Secure Computing is pleased to announce the availability of SmartFilter 4.2 now powered by TrustedSource. This new version of SmartFilter delivers more granular control to protect against today’s Web 2.0 security threats. In addition to the integration of the TrustedSource reputation technology, the new SmartFilter release also provides significant enhancements including:
  • Enhanced coverage for popular Web 2.0 sites such as Blogs/Wikis, Interactive Web Applications, Digital Postcards, and Media Sharing
  • Safe Search enforcement for popular search engines such as Google and Yahoo
  • Embedded URL checking
  • Real-time automated feedback that sends uncategorized URLs to the TrustedSource network for review and inclusion in the database

SmartFilter 4.1.1

The SmartFilter 4.1.1 release contains a number of enhancements that automate and simplify installation and Directory Services configuration while improving the transparent authentication functionality.
Enhancements and Issues resolved with this release include:
  • Adds simplified external Directory Service setup and automatic configuration
  • Adds the ability to search for, display, and select users and groups from external Directory Services from within the Administration Console
  • Adds the ability to quickly test successful communication with external user directory, email, and report servers
  • Adds option for automatic deployment of SmartFilter configuration changes when saved
  • Adds automatic registration of SmartFilter 4.1.1 Plugins and Authentication Servers with a SmartFilter 4.1.1 Administration Server
  • Adds option for automatic download of the SmartFilter database during SmartFilter Plugin installation
  • Adds screen within the Administration Console to configure advanced SmartFilter Plugin logging options
  • Adds Windows Program Menu and Desktop shortcuts for simplified access to SmartReporter
  • Adds platform support for Red Hat Enterprise Server 4.0
  • Various transparent authentication improvements
  • Reduced number of log messages when real-time downloads are configured
  • Fixes issue where deploying configuration changes from the Administration Server occasionally resulted in configuration reload failures
  • Fixes issue where Microsoft ISA 2004 service did not start up following a SmartFilter upgrade
  • Fixes issue with backup and restore of authentication server internal user data
  • Fixes issue where scheduled User Activity reports were not emailed if a user name matched more than one user account.
  • Fixes issue with deploying multi byte action pages on some platforms

Associated End of Life Announcements and Reminders

As previously announced in August, the current Bess and Sentian Windows software (v3.5) will continue to be supported until September 2006. We encourage all customers to upgrade to SmartFilter 4.1.1 as no future enhancements are planned and support for these offerings will end as of September 2006.

SmartFilter 4.1.1 supports Check Point NG only and will be the final SmartFilter release to support any Check Point offering. SmartFilter DA does not support any Check Point offering.

SmartFilter 4.1 Patch 1

This patch release addresses a variety of issues found in the SmartFilter 4.1 release.
Issues resolved with this release include:
  • Improved stability of Transparent Authentication Server on all platforms
  • Fixed issue where the Transparent Authentication exempted IP address list was not matching properly in all cases
  • Transparent Authentication now supports browsers that use non-unicode NTML authentication
  • Fixed issue where block pages were not always displayed due to lack of system resources
  • Improved debugging for SmartReporter e-mailed reports
  • Fixed issue where some e-mailed reports were not being received if multiple reports were configured
  • Fixed issue where 12/31/1969 may appear within the SmartReporter database when under heavy load
  • Improved SmartReporter logging on Solaris
  • Fixed potential log processing hang under Windows
  • Fixed networking issue where IFP Server could potentially loop, taking up all CPU resources
  • Improved support for legacy 4.0.x based plugin groups within the Administration system
  • Fixed issue where some requests were logged as allowed when in warn bypass mode
  • Fixed issue where certain malformed URLs could cause plugin instability

SmartFilter 4.1

The SmartFilter® 4.1 release includes SmartFilter for corporate and government customers and SmartFilter, Bess® edition for the education market. This major feature release adds exciting new capabilities to SmartFilter Web filtering products further enhancing Web security by adding protections for phishing sites and spam email URLs, enhancing Spyware coverage, and adding significant flexibility for policy creation.

Key filtering coverage enhancements:

  • Expanded protection against Web threats such as phishing, and spam
  • Improved Web content segmentation with expanded coverage for violence ratings within games/cartoons, sites related to gambling, content intended specifically for children, history, and other updates. SmartFilter now provides over 70 categories of Web content from which customers can build, manage, and report on their Web access policies.

    See our Web site for a complete list of categories. Or, refer to the SmartFilter SL Control List Upgrade Guide to view details on category changes/additions. This document is found on the SmartFilter Download Center.

Key feature enhancements:
  • Real-time security updates for up-to-the-minute coverage
  • Authorized override allows authorized users to override filtering for a specified amount of time
  • Transparent authentication supports user-based policies for transparent devices
  • Transparent Blocking allows block messages to display a transparent image – very useful for Web Ads, but can be applied to any category
  • New graphical block/warn pages with added functionality – authorized users can override filtering or submit a site to the Filtering administrator for review
  • Global block/global allow capabilities for easier administration
  • Easy access to subscription details
Key policy enhancements:
  • Usability enhancements with an updated interface and streamlined policy configuration
  • Exempt policy action enables organizations to always allow access to sites in a particular category, regardless of any additional category classifications. This is especially beneficial for those that wish to allow access to sites that may otherwise be blocked – such as health-related topics.
  • Up to 500 custom categories for greater flexibility in custom policy creation
  • A variety of new pre-defined policy options now available for faster configuration
  • Flexible policy enforcement for users in multiple directory service groups
For more detailed information on the feature enhancements in this release, please visit:
http://www.securecomputing.com/goto/smartfilter41/features

Questions & Answers:

What is SmartFilter, Bess edition?
SmartFilter, Bess edition is the filtering brand for the education market. In late 2003, Secure Computing acquired the filtering company, N2H2 and the Bess filtering brand which was very successful in the education market. The 4.1 release of SmartFilter combines key features from SmartFilter and Bess into one great release. The addition of the Bess brand to SmartFilter for the education market reflects the strong foothold N2H2’s Bess brand has in the education space.

Product life cycle/EOL
SmartFilter software and SmartFilter databases are on separate life cycles. If a software product has an End of Life (EOL) date posted, it means that no future enhancements will be made to that particular software version. Once both the software and the list reach EOL status, customers are required to upgrade to continue their filtering service. Please note: SmartFilter 3.x software can run any 3.x list and SmartFilter 4.x software can run any 4.x list.

SmartFilter Software EOLEOL Date
SmartFilter 3.1 admin and plug-in softwareSeptember 2005
SmartFilter 3.2 admin and plug-in softwareSeptember 2006
 
SmartFilter database EOLEOL Date
List version 3.0 without IP coverageSeptember 2006
    Originally built for solutions with limited memory and found in /pub and named sfcontrol
List version 3.0 with IP coverageSeptember 2006
    Originally built for solutions with limited memory and found in /pub and named sfpcontrol
List version 3.0.1 IP onlySeptember 2006
    Found in /pub/sfv3/lists and named sfipcontrol

SmartFilter 4.0

This new release includes an expanded URL database with over six million sites, additional categories that address the latest security threats, and SmartReporter, a powerful new Web-based reporting solution offering real-time feedback on your organization's Web usage.

Expanded database and categories
SmartFilter 4.0 now offers one of the largest and most accurate databases of Web content, featuring over six million sites in 62 granular categories.

  • The SmartFilter v4 SL database now contains URLs from both the SmartFilter and N2H2 databases. (Secure Computing acquired the filtering company N2H2 in October 2003.) These two databases have been rated #1 and #2 in independent studies.
  • The SmartFilter v4 SL database now addresses the newest security, productivity, and liability threats with new categories including Instant Messaging, Malicious Sites, Peer to Peer, and Spyware.
  • Some categories have also been split into multiple new categories to provide greater granularity and control. For example, the previous 'Mature' category now includes separate categories for Alcohol, Profanity, Sexual Materials, Tasteless/Gross, Tobacco, and Weapons.
  • Not only does the database have significantly more entries, but it also provides better performance. A new database format results in a significantly smaller footprint, freeing memory (both hard disk and RAM) for other processes. Additionally, the filter server itself is faster, making policy responses quicker and offering increased efficiencies.

The new SmartFilter v4 SL database can only be used with the SmartFilter 4.0 application so we encourage all customers to upgrade to take advantage of the expanded coverage.

SmartReporter
The SmartFilter 4.0 release includes a powerful new reporting solution – SmartReporter – that enables you to quickly understand how your organization is using the Web, isolate problems, document inappropriate Web activity, and tailor your filtering settings to effectively enforce acceptable use policies.

SmartReporter provides an easy-to-use Web-based interface that delivers immediate access to the information you need. Extensive drill-down capabilities provide real-time feedback and instant snap-shots on your organization's Web usage and trends by category, location, users, and actions.

SmartReporter ships with an embedded database that runs on Microsoft, Red Hat Linux, and Solaris. For larger installations, SmartReporter provides interoperability with Microsoft SQL.

SmartReporter is available to all customers at no additional cost. And while integrated with SmartFilter 4.0, SmartReporter can also be used with SmartFilter 3.x versions.

Additional enhancements
You'll find with the SmartFilter 4.0 release that we have streamlined the download process. A separate user name and password is no longer required to download the database. Instead, a single serial number is entered into the product and is now referenced when downloading the database. This same serial number is also used to activate the product. SmartFilter software no longer requires a separate activation key.

All SmartFilter customers received a unique 16-digit serial number when they originally purchased SmartFilter and can use this serial number when they upgrade to SmartFilter 4.0. Please contact Secure Computing Customer Service if you cannot locate your serial number. Please have your user name and password used with the 3.x versions available to verify account information. For Customer Service contact information, please see: http://www.securecomputing.com/index.cfm?skey=297.

SmartFilter 4.0 also includes a new graphical installer to further simplify installation.

SmartFilter® 3.2 Release

This release continues to offer industry-leading performance and includes expanded Internet coverage with approximately 4 million sites in the rapidly growing SmartFilter database. Additionally, a new advanced pattern matching feature has been added to SmartFilter that enables organizations to create custom filters unique to their business.

High performance
SmartFilter 3.2 builds on the high-performing On-Box™ architecture. The On-Box approach continues to be the best filtering architecture for minimizing connection latency and keeping pace with the rapid growth of Internet use. Analysis and feedback from customers confirm that SmartFilter far out-performs the competition.

Enhanced coverage with expanded database
With approximately 4 million entries in the SmartFilter database database, and a commitment from Secure that its categorization of the Internet remains on an accelerated program, SmartFilter customers can be assured of broad global coverage both now and in the future. The database contains Web site entries in 66 unique languages. This is far ahead of most competitors. And with the 3.2 release, customers can now download SmartFilter's growing global database on a daily basis to keep up with the growth of the Internet and users' changing browsing preferences.

This expanded database can be used with any 3.x version of SmartFilter software and is available to all customers at no additional cost.

Pattern matching
Pattern matching, new to SmartFilter in this release, is a powerful, real-time filtering option. With the pattern matching feature, customers can create unique policy enforcement rules that incorporate almost any element or multiple elements within the user request data, including the port, domain, path, file name, file extension and CGI parameters. SmartFilter can now recognize and enforce policy against unique, customer-defined patterns in user requests whether or not the requested URL has been pre-populated into the SmartFilter database. This results in a highly customizable policy enforcement solution that extends well beyond the reach of the database.

With these advanced filtering capabilities, customers can now:

  • Create a rule to block MP3 files from ‘entertainment’ sites but allow them from a particular ‘partner’ or legitimate ‘news’ site.
  • Block policy violating software downloads from many sites on the very day the new download site first appears on the Internet.
  • Build rules with wild cards – write a custom rule once that applies to many different domains and categories.
  • Block all Internet traffic except to a specific set of pre-defined sites – this enables customers to create ‘yes’ lists appropriate for schools or specific departments to access only a limited set of Web sites while blocking access to all other Internet sites.
  • Tie a rule to any existing category or a user-defined category and apply policy to all users or groups of users, by time-of-day, day-of-week, etc.
  • Configure any number of rules.

Daily downloads
Daily downloads of the SmartFilter database are now available with the 3.2 release. Daily downloads ensure customers get the most up-to-date list and the best coverage possible. With a single click, customers can now configure SmartFilter to automatically update the local database on a daily basis.

Expanded platform support
SmartFilter 3.2 adds support for Check Point FireWall-1 NG. Supported platforms include Solaris 2.8 and Windows 2000 SP2. SmartFilter 3.2 complies with OPSEC requirements and will be submitted for certification in Q1.

Additionally, we have implemented a new auto-configuration API from Check Point designed to make SmartFilter much easier to install. SmartFilter is one of the first applications to implement this new API from Check Point.

Cyfin® Reporter
A new version of both Cyfin Reporter Basic (available at no cost with each SmartFilter subscription) and Cyfin Reporter Professional (available for purchase) are now available. Both versions of the Cyfin reporting applications now have a browser-based interface.

Cyfin Reporter Basic

  • Provides a browser-based interface
    • Can be administered and operated from standard browsers (IE and Netscape 6+)
  • Lets administrators use either the new browser-based interface or the current standard GUI
    • The current standard GUI will continue to be supported for the next year
  • Allows only one administrator
  • Runs on everything it ran on before
  • Offers the same reports and reporting capability
  • Is easy to upgrade
  • Included at no cost

Cyfin Reporter Professional

  • Provides a browser-based interface – Can be administered and operated from standard browsers (IE and Netscape 6+)
  • Lets administrators use either the new browser-based interface or the current standard GUI – The current standard GUI will continue to be supported for the next year
  • Allows multiple members of the management staff to schedule their own reports, taking the burden off IT
  • Offers the same reports
  • Reporting categories now match SmartFilter categories – Cyfin Reporter Professional categories that are not included in the SmartFilter database are also available for more comprehensive reporting (education, legal, shipping, insurance)
  • Is easy to upgrade
  • New release is available at no additional cost to existing Cyfin Reporter Professional customers

Improved authentication support for Microsoft ISA
The SmartFilter 3.2 Microsoft ISA plug-in now triggers user authentication based on the local site/content rules within the Microsoft ISA policy.

EOL information
SmartFilter 3.2 will not support Microsoft Proxy Server 2.0 and Netscape Proxy Server 3.5. SmartFilter 3.1.1 is the last version of SmartFilter that supports these platforms. These products have been phased out by their respective owners and customer requests for these platforms have sharply dropped as replacement products have been implemented.

While Secure Computing will not be providing future versions for SmartFilter running on Microsoft Proxy and Netscape Proxy, users can continue to use the current 3.x versions of SmartFilter with these platforms and will continue to receive customer support through June 30, 2004. Updated SmartFilter databases will also be available through this transition period.

Additionally, SmartFilter 3.2 will be the last version to support products running Solaris 2.6.

SmartFilter® 3.1.1, patch 2

This maintenance release significantly enhances the performance of SmartFilter along with resolving a few open product issues.

With Internet use increasing, we wanted to make sure SmartFilter would stay well ahead of our largest customer throughput requirements. We went to work fine-tuning SmartFilter and have incorporated these enhancements into the 3.1.1, patch 2 release. Our internal tests on this release have confirmed a significant increase in performance on proxy servers under heavy load, in some cases a 3 to 4 fold improvement. While there are a number of variables that affect performance for each organization, we believe that all customers will benefit from the enhancements in SmartFilter 3.1.1, patch 2.

We recommend that all customers upgrade to SmartFilter 3.1.1, patch 2 to maintain the best possible performance from your Internet-related investments both now and into the future.

SmartFilter® 3.1 - A new release and a new look

A number of new features have been added to SmartFilter that enhance and further simplify routine administration. Organizations of all sizes can benefit from the new centralized, remote management capability as well as the integration with LDAP and Microsoft's Active Directory. The recent addition of incremental list downloads in the last release and the ability now to download the database through both FTP and HTTP further simplifies SmartFilter administration for global enterprises.

SmartFilter 3.1 provides even more comprehensive, accurate filtering than ever before. We have increased international and foreign language coverage of our database, which is inline with our goals to keep the SmartFilter database the most accurate, comprehensive list in the industry.

You'll also notice SmartFilter has a new look. The intent of the new logo and tag line - Plug into a positive Web experience - is to demonstrate that SmartFilter is the one solution in the marketplace that can satisfy everyone impacted by Web filtering: upper management, end-users, and the IT staff. SmartFilter is not about turning on an invasive program that's difficult to manage; it's about building a positive, productive Web culture.

SmartFilter 3.1 is available immediately for download from our FTP server at ftp.smartfilter.com. As always, this upgrade is free to our existing customers. Prospective SmartFilter customers or partners wishing to evaluate SmartFilter 3.1 should go to the Evaluation Page to obtain a trial account on our SmartFilter FTP server.

SmartFilter 3.1 - Features and enhancements
The primary new software features available in SmartFilter 3.1 include:

Centralized Remote Management
With the addition of centralized, remote management capabilities, you can now manage SmartFilter plug-ins for your entire global network from one vantage point, anywhere in the world. Running multiple platforms? No problem. SmartFilter is the only filtering solution that allows you to easily push policies out to SmartFilter plug-ins running on different platforms throughout your network.

Directory Services Integration
Coordinating user profiles among multiple systems can become challenging. SmartFilter 3.1 supports dynamic querying of user group information from one or more user directories such as LDAP, Active Directory, NT LAN Manager, or the internal SmartFilter database. Multiple supported directories can be configured and order sequenced for query precedence. Now you can configure users in one directory and let SmartFilter dynamically retrieve that information.

Database Downloads
To further simplify and tailor SmartFilter administration to our customers' needs, we now offer SmartFilter database downloads via HTTP as well as FTP. Add this to the recent incremental download option that lets you retrieve the twice-weekly database updates and merge them into your existing database instead of downloading the database in its entirety. SmartFilter administration options save you time and valuable bandwidth.

Database Coverage
The SmartFilter database continues to get better with every download. We recently enhanced the database with several hundred thousand international URLs and, as always, our Web Analysts continually add and delete sites to make sure you continue to get the most effective list possible.