Wave Systems Corp. (fka WAVXQ)

[Fullmoon]

Network Security Products Based on Trusted Network Connect Standards Test Interoperability and New Capabilities

http://in.sys-con.com/node/909271


Fifteen companies and organizations from around the world participated in testing a growing number of implementations of the Trusted Computing Group’s Trusted Network Connect (TNC) specifications for network security and network access control.

Enterasys Networks, Fujitsu Limited, Great Bay Software, Infoblox, Juniper Networks, Lumeta Corporation, Trapeze Networks and several others participated in the group’s fourth annual interoperability event, hosted by the University of New Hampshire Interoperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL). First-time attendees included Great Bay and Lumeta, while Enterasys, Juniper, and Trapeze Networks tested products for at least their third year.

Microsoft’s implementation of NAP (Network Access Protection) in Windows XP SP 3 software was demonstrated as working interoperably at the event as well.

The Trusted Computing Group (TCG) hosts the interoperability session to enable member companies using the TNC specifications to test implementations with TNC-based products from other vendors. The session serves as validation of interoperability in addition to providing discussion and sharing of best practices and experiences with the specifications.

Five open-source projects - FreeRADIUS, libtnc, OpenSEA, TNC@FHH, and wpa_supplicant - also tested software this year, demonstrating an increasing amount of support and product choice of operating systems and platforms.

Participants tested hardware and software supporting the TNC specifications in a simulated enterprise environment, using more than a dozen test cases that model common enterprise usage of TNC specification-based systems. Six interfaces were tested:

The interface for integrity measurement verifiers (IF-IMV) and the interface for integrity measurement collectors (IF-IMC), which allow TNC clients and servers to load and use plug-in software components from different vendors, enabling easy integration of software from many vendors into a complete TNC implementation.
The interface for TNC client-server communications (IF-TNCCS), which allows TNC clients and servers to exchange integrity measurement data.
The interface for TNC client-server communications using the statement of health (IF-TNCCS-SOH), which allows TNC servers to easily integrate Microsoft Windows systems and other Network Access Protection clients.
The interface for policy enforcement points (IF-PEP), which enables network hardware from any vendor to serve as a policy enforcement point in a TNC system.
The interface for metadata access points (IF-MAP), which integrates a wide variety of security systems into a cooperative and responsive team, sharing information and alerts.
TNC is an open, non-proprietary architecture and set of specifications, available free of charge to any interested party, that enables the application and enforcement of security requirements for endpoints connecting to the corporate network. The TNC architecture helps IT organizations enforce corporate configuration requirements and to prevent and detect malware outbreaks, as well as the resulting security breaches and downtime in multi-vendor networks. More information on TNC is available at https://www.trustedcomputinggroup.org.

TCG is an industry standards body formed to develop, define, and promote open standards for trusted computing and security technologies, including hardware building blocks and software interfaces, across multiple platforms, peripherals, and devices. TCG specifications are designed to enable more secure computing environments without compromising functional integrity with the primary goal of helping users to protect their information assets from compromise due to external software attack and physical theft. More information and the organization’s specifications are available at www.trustedcomputinggroup.org.