Network Security

[Chuck Bearden]

Re:  WinShield 95

I evaluated this product a while back, and the one really useful 
thing that it did in my estimation was to constrain saves to 
floppy disk.  As a part of this option, it also defanged the 
Win95 Open/Save dialog boxes, which (as has often been mentioned 
here) are one of the worst security holes in Win95 security.  

Otherwise, I thought that much of what the program did was doable 
through registry settings.  Also, the program had to leave a 
shortcut in the Start | Programs | Start Up menu, meaning that 
patrons could go to that menu, click on the shortcut, and try 
their hands at password guessing.  I'm not sure if there was an 
easy way to install the program to multiple machines.  

To be fair, I must mention that it has been almost a year since I 
evaluated the program, and changes may well have been made to it 
to remedy these and other criticisms.  

Other programs to consider:  Fortres 101, by Fortres Grand 
Corp. (http://www.fortres.com/), StopLight ELS, by SafetyNet 
(http://www.safe.net/), and Integrity PACS-L for Win 3.x by 
Hyper Technologies (http://www.hypertec.com/index.html).  Hyper 
Technologies is working on an Integrity package for Win95.  It 
looks promising to me because it is supposed to constrain saves 
to floppy, as WinShield does.  Hyper Technologies also has a 
program called IKIOSK that lets a library create a "kiosked" 
version of an application like Netscape, by greying out unwanted 
menu options.  Has anyone tried the new beta version 2.0?  

I would welcome mention and evaluation of any other 3rd party 
security software tried by libraries.  

I hope this helps.

Chuck

-------------------------------------------------------------
Chuck Bearden			email: cbearden at hpl.lib.tx.us
Catalog Department		voice: 713/247-3499
Houston Public Library		fax:   713/247-3158
500 McKinney Ave.
Houston, TX  77002		-=> NOT SPEAKING FOR HPL <=-
-------------------------------------------------------------
      -=>HPL's Homepage: http://sparc.hpl.lib.tx.us<=-

--- On Mon, 21 Oct 1996 20:55:34 -0700  Laurie Bonnice 
<isavante at naples.net> wrote:

>I am a systems librarian for a small private college in Southwest 
Florida.  I am 
>currently working with the Campus Network Administrator on a 
project for Network 
>Security.  We are looking at a number of products and I was 
wondering if anyone could 
>give me feedback on personal experience with any of the following 
products.
>
>We have a LAN with over 80 users accessing the network.  We also 
have a WAN with about 
>8-10 users accessing at a time.  We are in the process of 
purchasing 60 new computers 
>with Windows 95 and hard drives on them for use in the computer 
classrooms and labs.
>
>We are looking at MS Winshield for Windows 95.  Copies must be 
purchased individually 
>rather than purchasing user licenses.  I would be interested in any 
other comparable 
>products as well.  Also, we received some literature from Centurion 
Technologies about a 
>product they market called Centurion Guard.  It is a hardware 
product that protects the 
>hard drive by making it "read only"  It also protects the hard 
drive from viruses, 
>hackers, and accidental deletions.
>
>I would appreciate any information/opinions you may offer.
>
>-- 
>*****************************************
>Laurie J. Bonnice, M.L.S.
>
>Sometimes the savior of us all has a few
>kinky things in their closet.
>
>Bernadette Storck on Intellectual Freedom
>
>http://www.naples.net/~isavante
>Center Director for Libraries - NFN
>http://www.naples.net/library/library.htm
>*****************************************
>

-----------------End of Original Message-----------------