AppGate device control consists of three differen parts:
- Client checks: Investigates devices.
- Client command: Commands the PC to perform a specific activety.
- Personal Firewall: Blocks unwanted traffic.
The AppGate server can force the PC to perform tasks – run a certain command and check the system – to improve the security of the end-point device. Usually this function is used to check antivirus versions or check that the PC is a company PC.
This function also enables the system administrator to remotely manage the PC using applications such as CNV or MRS (Remote Management).
Of course the results of these scans can be a part of the access rule set.
The AppGate Distributed Personal Firewall consists of two components, the
Personal Firewall and the
Policy Manager. Policy Manager:
- Policy Manager gives the administrator a single point of control.
- Personal Firewall has no GUI for the user so the user cannot create security holes.
- Personal Firewall can control traffic to applications by filtering on IP addresses and ports.
The Personal Firewall is designed for remote administration and has no GUI for end users.
The Policy Manager allows system administrators to define and distribute stand alone and global policies
for all personal firewalls in a network. Different rules can be used depending on user location or machine type:
for example, laptops using a WLAN connection while inside the corporate network.
The easy deployment of new rule sets can be used in several ways.
One example might be when large organisations use the Distributed Personal Firewall to block a virus attack
travelling through specific ports. Another might be the use of a rule set that blocks all types of traffic other
than the encrypted tunnel when the user connects to the network.
The Distributed Personal Firewall system can be used together with non-AppGate VPN systems.
But when used together with an AppGate VPN system, the Personal Firewall uses the rights management control
system in the AppGate Security Server to enforce a specific policy when the user connects to a protected application
server. It is, for example, possible for the AppGate server to close port 80 connections thus preventing a web based
attack, before certain resources become available to the user.
