Check Point Software Technologies on Tuesday announced it is expanding its Open Platform for Security (OPSEC) multi-vendor interoperability program to include wireless LANs and mobile wireless devices.
The OPSEC Wireless Initiative is intended to help users more easily overcome security problems inherent in wireless LANs and other mobile devices, says Sean Leonard, Check Point's OPSEC alliance manager.
"A wireless LAN is like an RJ-11 connector to the parking lot," Leonard says, referring to stories of hackers tapping into wireless LANs from corporate parking lots.
To remedy the situation, Check Point will address wireless security on two fronts. First, it will certify the interoperability of 802.11 wireless LAN products with its VPN-1 virtual private network gateways, servers and clients. The first wireless LAN vendors to be certified as compatible are Intel, Proxim and Nokia.
Check Point will also certify individual mobile devices as compatible with the VPN-1 SecureClient and VPN-1 SecuRemote, which provide VPN connectivity and personal firewall functions. The first devices certified as compatible are Hewlett-Packard IPAQ PDAs and handhelds, IBM ThinkPad laptops, Microsoft Pocket PC 2002 and SmartPhones 2002 devices.
Certification means users will be able to apply VPN-1 policies to compatible devices and wireless LANs, Leonard says. Check Point will also take support calls that involve certified products.
The OPSEC program, which was born in 1997, now includes more than 300 vendor partners.
Images
IE 7
Firefox 2.0
