Cisco gets cozy with Trend Micro

In Wednesday's IT Blogwatch, Richi Jennings watches Trend Micro slide its security software into routers from Cisco/Linksys. Not to mention how not to cross at a railroad crossing...


Stephen Lawson reports:

Cisco Systems Inc. is building a Trend Micro Inc. Internet security service into some home Wi-Fi routers to help protect families and small businesses from fraud, phishing and predators.
...
Home Network Defender evaluates security risks in real time as users surf the Web. When it detects malicious Web sites or legitimate sites that contain threats, the service blocks them. There are three levels of protection to choose from, and parents can set rules for their children, even detailing the settings based on the time of day.

Joel Hruska adds:

Hardware-based firewalls are nothing new, but the duo claims that the new service ... will offer an unsurpassed level of intrusion tracking and detection, all while lifting the computing burden off of your PC ... Much of what HND offers falls under the rubric of improved monitoring and more powerful parental controls.
...
Similarly, the Linksys HND service could provide solid proof as to whether a system on one's network had been zombified, even if the infectious agent is proving hard to find/isolate on any given system. If you aren't experienced enough to log and parse such data on your own, tools like this could be very appealing ... at just $14.99 per yearly license, HND isn't expensive, especially if you plan to upgrade your router in the near future.

Adrian Covert is watching:

Home Network Defender previously existed as an application for PCs that more or less did the same thing. But now that it's installed on the router, any PC connected to the network will be protected. It's not so much software to detect and clean viruses, since that would cause a certain amount of router lag, but instead a way to filter out dangerous sites before they reach your computer (they have, however, hinted at more advanced network monitoring coming in the future).
...
[It] will first be available preloaded on new Linksys WRT310N and WRT610N routers, and also available as an upgrade for those who already own these same models.

Joshua Martin wonders who Cisco wants to be:

This type of router level security and parental controls that protects all devices on a network, including mobile phones is the type of product differentiator those selling routers have long waited for. It truly differentiates a product from the rest.
...
[But] Linksys is not a low end brand that must compete on price ... Selling high end routers for a premium is not out of the question for Linksys, especially wireless N routers where Home Network Defender will reside ... Home Network Defender is a technology that will most certainly differentiate Linksys products from the competitors and provides a substantial improvement over existing technology.

t_newt posits why HND is a good idea:

If a trojan slips into your system somehow, the first thing it is going to do is disable all anti-virus software. Having anti-virus anti-intrusion software outside your system can help you identify and contain the problem.

But Chrysillis has another idea:

DD-WRT already offers all the IP and HTTP blocking and restrictions you could ask for in a consumer level router. Plus its free and supported on many routers!

Its really too bad either more people don't know about 3rd party firmwares making such products meaningless or that Cisco doesn't make decent firmware for their routers that there is such a strong need for 3rd party software.

Meanwhile, Spinur takes a sociological approach:

Here's an idea: PARENT your children. Malware comes from the internet, not from children. No software package will ever be able to teach children responsible internet usage, no matter how much I have to pay for it.

This product markets and perpetuates bad security practices. Network security STARTS with educating users. This is a perfect example of a technology that would be appropriate in a corporate environment but is fundamentally wrong for the home.

And finally...

• How not to cross a railroad at a railroad crossing
  [hat tip: Blake Patterson]

Previously in IT Blogwatch:

• Facebook TOSses out your privacy?
• Downgrade to XP is $60: Microsoft sued
• 1234567890 seconds since 1/1/1970: tonight!

Buffer overflow:

• Schneier on Security: Difficult-to-Pronounce Things are Judged to Be More Risky
• Ed Oswald: D'oh! Prosecution Stumbles Badly in Pirate Bay Trial
• Paul Thurrott: Windows 7 for Businesses: When Should You Deploy
• The Enterprise System Spectator: Why the recession is good for Oracle
• C.G. Lynch: Why (Most) Facebook Users Don't Care About Privacy
• Rough Type: The avatar of my father
• Leena Rao: Tech Layoffs Surge to 300,000

Other Computerworld bloggers:

• Sharon Machlis: Some details published on Palm's new OS
• Preston Gralla: Vista-to-XP downgrade suit: Wrong, wrong, wrong
• SJVN: Debian 5's Five Best Features
• Michael Horowitz: Phony job postings
• Michael R. Farnum: The process for scoping internal PCI pen tests
• Shark Tank: No good deed goes unpunished
• Shark Bait: Old IBM JCL: Computer Atheism

Like this stuff? Subscribe to the RSS feed.

Richi Jennings is an independent analyst/adviser/consultant, specializing in blogging, email, and spam. A 23 year, cross-functional IT veteran, he is also an analyst at Ferris Research. You can follow him on Twitter, pretend to be Richi's friend on Facebook, or just use boring old email: blogwatch@richi.co.uk.