A few days ago I was invited to join in a web conference with popular firewall manufacturer Watchguard. As a fan of Watchguard products I accepted and got involved in the conference designed to raise the awareness of network security.

The main topic was around making accessing a network from a remote location more secure by employing CRYPTOMAS solutions which provide two-way authentication. Usually connecting to a network using a VPN, RDC or IPSEC tunnel one-way authentication is used. The user authenticates using a password which is rarely changed and often easily bypassed. Obviously the downside of this is that once that password is cracked that particular person can access every corner of your network (and business) -  not good.

CRYPTOMAS addresses this issue with two-way authentication. In order to gain access, a user must type in a password which is constantly changing. The user is provided with a PIN code (which doesnt change) and is updated with a “One Time Password" (OTP)” to their mobile phone/pager/key fob…combining the two numbers results in a password which can only be used once.

In the diagram below the user is attempting to log into the Watchguard Firebox, upon the firewall receiving this request it will direct them off to the CRYPTOMAS server to authenticate with that. Only once the user has authenticated using the one time password can they gain access to the network.

If you have users who regularly log into the business network remotely or if you are concerned about the security of your business then CRYPTOMAS can certainly help to secure further.

Once more, this product is free to trial for 60 days for anyone who has an existing Watchguard firewall. Gardners have an account and can arrange all of this for you, just contact me at.