Plugged In
September 2007 Vol.18 Issue 9
Page(s) 44-46 in print issue




Managed Internet Security Services
A Look At Managed Internet Security Services



 




Every new development in computing seems to bring along some new threats. Computer programs on disc brought along viruses. Email brought along worms and, of course, spam. Macro languages in applications came with macro viruses. Web sites with scripting also have had their own security problems.
Large corporations protect themselves by trying to lock down their computers and installing complex software that requires the management of an entire information technology team. But what can the small-business owner or home user do to manage the security of his computer?


Computer viruses have been around for over 25 years. Today, we face more than the common virusspam, adware, spyware, Trojan horses, phishing, worms, rootkits, Nigerian politicians, and many other threats. Making this easier for the bad guys is the complexity of today s software, which often has flaws that leave holes in your computer s security.

Once, antivirus software was optional. Now, it s considered mandatory, and it s only part of a security toolkit. Years ago, there were only a few choices for security software. Today, there are at least 30 different products to choose from. Many of these are bundled into security suites that offer a combination of spam, spyware, virus, and firewall protection. Unfortunately, most companies want you to buy their product and upgrades, but they don t provide the kind of support that nonexperts need. That s where MISS (Managed Internet Security Services) can help.  

MISS Trial

In a MISS, a company provides the security software and then installs and maintains it for you. We experimented with The INVISUS PC Security Solution, a MISS offered by INVISUS Direct (http://www.invisusdirect.com/). The INVISUS service provides antivirus and antispyware programs, a firewall, patch management, and security alerts. According to INVISUS Direct President James Harrison, the INVISUS PC Security Solution [includes] technologies from several top-tier security companies like Sophos and Sunbelt.  

In our trial, we configured a PC with Windows XP Professional SP1 (Service Pack 1). We called INVISUS, and a technician scheduled a time for our installation. (We had no trouble getting an appointment within a day or so of our call.) Installation is handled by the INVISUS technician. When the technician called to begin the process, the first thing he did was guide us to a section of the INVISUS Web site, where we started a remote-control application to let our technician take control of the computer. (NOTE: When the installation was complete, the remote-control software uninstalled itself.)

Once the technician was in control of our computer, almost all we had to do was watch. The technician started by downloading the setup program to install all the INVISUS programs. While it was downloading, he navigated to another page and downloaded and ran HijackThis, a popular program to find out what programs are running on your systemand which ones shouldn t be. After that, the technician downloaded and ran CCleaner, which he then used to clean up the various temporary Internet files and caches on the computer. (If there had been any existing antivirus, firewall, or similar software, the technician would have removed it for us using Windows Add Or Remove Programs utility, because multiple programs for these same functions can cause problems.)

The technician began installing the products after entering the necessary key code. First, he installed the antispyware; then BigFix, the patch management tool; then the antivirus product; and finally the firewall software. After the final setup routine completed, the system had to be rebooted.  


One-Stop Security Shop

Once the system restarted, the technician answered all our questions about the products that were just installed, including how to configure the firewall for programs that might need special access to the Internet. In fact, he offered to do it for us.

Antispyware. INVISUS Anti-Spyware regularly scans your computer, making sure the system is clean. You can choose from four levels of security: Paranoid, Cautious (the default), Trusting, and Custom. It also features key utilities, including a secure file eraser, a history cleaner, and tools to manage areas of your hard drive that are not normally accessible but that viruses and spyware often invade.

Patch management. BigFix, the security notification and patch management program, will notify you when you need to patch Windows and other Microsoft applications (but not applications such as Mozilla s Firefox or Adobe s Acrobat Reader). In addition, if your computer is missing a large number of Microsoft patches, INVISUS recommends using Windows Update (update.microsoft.com) to bring the computer up-to-date before switching to BigFix for maintenance. INVISUS tests all patches before releasing them, which should help to avoid patch-related problems.

Antivirus. INVISUS Anti-Virus uses Sophos Anti-Virus technology, which (when used on its own) frequently discovers new viruses and provides updates multiple times per day. Therefore, we were somewhat surprised to find that INVISUS antivirus product isn t as thorough, allowing only a single, automatic update per day. (You can update manually as often as you like.) It was also disappointing that the product failed to properly remove the EICAR (European Institute for Computer Anti-Virus Research) test virus placed on the system. While it did detect it, it repeatedly indicated that it was unable to remove it. When we asked INVISUS about this problem, one of its technicians advised us that it would be easy to manually remove the infected files, but, of course, the major advantage of a managed service is to let the computer owner avoid doing these things.
 





INVISUS Desktop Firewall provides a simple interface for basic settings. 



Firewall. We found the INVISUS Desktop Firewall to be the most full-featured part of the suite. When the Desktop Firewall is set to its basic configuration, the options are few but effective. The options boil down to On, Off, and Ask Me First. In the event you need to open a port for a game or other application, right-click the firewall icon in the System Tray, choose Administration, and then click the Advanced button. This displays all existing programs and their settings, as well as options for adding new ones. You will probably need to use telephone support for this. The descriptions are, at best, short, and there is no tooltip help and no Help button. It was also discouraging to see the Help function for other areas of the Desktop Firewall not working.


The MISS Advantage

It s important to remember that all security software is flawed in some way. New threats emerge daily. Until they are detected and analyzed by a vendor, it s unlikely that the vendor s antispyware and antivirus solutions can do much to protect your computer. Even then, what one vendor finds today, another may not find until next week. There are techniques used by most antivirus products to detect unknown viruses, but they are far from perfect.

The advantage of a Managed Internet Security Service such as the INVISUS PC Security Solution is that you have a technician you can call who can connect to your computer and walk you through the necessary steps of repairing or recovering your system.  





The advanced settings for the INVISUS Desktop Firewall are very flexible, but most people will need the help of a technician to configure or modify them. When we tried to get firewall configuration help, we were greeted with an error message. 



The INVISUS PC Security Solution includes a competent set of applications (not necessarily each the best in its class but still quite adequate) that can help your system fight off the bad guys: the virus villain, the spyware sneak, and the password purloiner. But what you are really paying for is the ability to call support for a quick answer from an experienced technician. In our evaluation, the INVISUS technicians responded quickly to calls, and the two we spoke with seemed both knowledgeable and very willing to help. If a technician can t be reached immediately, we were assured that voice messages would be answered quickly.
 

DIY Or MISS?

Questions do remain as to exactly how well INVISUS (or any other MISS) will do during a major virus outbreak. The level of service offered by INVISUS is impressive, but there are still drawbacks. Currently, INVISUS does not offer backup services, although Harrison does indicate it is very close to providing such a service. In the meantime, INVISUS will recommend a third party to help back up your data. Another area which can be difficult to provide service for is securing your wireless network. To make it easier for consumers, most wireless router manufacturers do not enable security automatically. Doing so would make it more difficult for users to set up a wireless network. Unfortunately, having an open wireless network is like leaving your front door wide open. INVISUS does not provide assistance in helping you secure your wireless network and will only provide limited help if there are problems related directly to the INVISUS software.

When deciding how to secure your computer, first, consider local computer professionals (such as Best Buy's Geek Squad). Professional services offer onsite assistance covering a wide range of problems. They can help ensure you use the best products and have the best configuration for your requirements. Alas, such services are not inexpensivea one-hour onsite visit twice a year will often exceed the cost of a MISS.

Your second option might be your neighborhood geek. Unfortunately, you can never be quite sure what he knows. Can he really help you, or will he do more harm than good? Lastly, you can always stay with the DIY route. McAfee, Symantec, AOL, Microsoft, and dozens of other companies all offer subscription-based security suites.
 

Play It Safe

Bruce Schneier is a security expert and the author of Beyond Fear: Thinking Sensibly About Security in an Uncertain World. Asked about security for home and small-business computers, he commented, Criminals are looking for the easy prey, so being more secure than average works. We agree, and whether you choose to do it yourself, hire a technician, or secure your systems with the help of a service such as The INVISUS PC Security Solution, comprehensive protection is the only way to keep your computer, data, and identity safe.

by Carl Fink and Lee Wilbur  


www.nomorehackers.net