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Secure Content Appliance (SCA) Certification Summary
For the purposes of the NSS test, a SCA
device is defined as a single appliance combining the following possible
functions:
- Anti Malware - gateway Anti
Malware (often including Anti Virus, Anti Spyware, Anti Adware and Anti
Phishing capabilities) prevents inbound malware traffic at the edge of the
network, thus reinforcing desktop security solutions and blocking malware
before it reaches the desktop. This solution can also prevent infected
machines from propagating malware outside the corporate network.
- Anti Spam - gateway Anti Spam can
tag inbound e-mail, allowing it to be handled more effectively by desktop
filtering solutions, or can block suspected spam mails completely. This
solution can also prevent internal hosts from sending spam mail outside
the corporate network.
- Web/URL Filtering - using a
constantly-updated database of categorised URLs, a gateway Web Filtering
solution can prevent employees from accessing objectionable or
inappropriate Web sites from the corporate network
- Content Filtering - by scanning
Web and mail traffic for specific content, a gateway Content Filtering
solution can prevent objectionable or inappropriate material from passing
into, or out of, the corporate network.
Note that many of these functions are
shared with the class of device known as
Unified Threat Management (UTM), which would also typically include
firewall, IPS and VPN functionality.
The SCA appliance is thus ideal for those organisations which already have
dedicated firewall/VPN and IPS appliances, and who thus require only the
malware and content filtering capabilities, coupled with the convenience of
a transparent bridge appliance which can be inserted anywhere in the network
without disrupting existing routing and IP addressing schemes.
The NSS tests are designed to determine the suitability of a particular SCA
product for use as a basic, all-in-one gateway security device and will
focus on the effects of combining multiple security technologies (as listed
above) in a single appliance.
Thus, the overall focus of the tests will be on the manageability,
performance and capabilities of the appliance as a basic firewall or
transparent bridge, and how the performance is affected by enabling or
disabling the additional security functions.
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Certification Programs
SCA Certification:
Introduction
Testing
Procedure Summary
Testing Procedure (PDF)
Certified SCA Products
Test Equipment
Contact The NSS Group
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