McAfee to Debut New Firewall
McAfee has introduced a new edition of its personal firewall (MPF) that it has dubbed as the "next generation" of its anti-intrusion software. The firewall's defenses have been bolstered by integrated advanced intrusion detection, and a graphical trace utility that can provide geographic information on attackers. Background information obtained on intruders will be integrated into hackerwatch.org - a massive online database that monitors hacking and rogue network activity.
The advanced intrusion detection feature gathers all necessary and prudent information needed to allow customers to analyze and identify traffic that is attempting to bypass their firewall. It also entails a listing of the type and frequency of attacks being waged. Many firewalls, including McAfee's product offerings also filter outbound traffic to protect against Trojans and other malicious code.
A world map view is generated by the graphical trace utility which zeros in on an attacker's computer - connecting all nodes along the route. McAfee hopes that this feature will put pressure on crackers, hackers, and the authors of Trojan horse applications from attempting to obtain control of any given target PC.
By integrating hackerwatch.org's assets into its personal firewall, McAfee aims to assist law enforcement agencies and third parties to curb hacking activities. The site also includes a variety of self-testing and diagnostic tools.
Windows XP support is included despite the fact that the operating system includes its own built in firewall. In interviews with McAfee officials including CIO Doug Cavit, BetaNews was told that the Microsoft implementation of a firewall in XP was rudimentary – only providing protection from outside sources. McAfee is among the many vendors that must face down Redmond's firewall onslaught.
In today's release, Atri Chatterjee, vice president of worldwide marketing at McAfee.com stated, "We strongly believe in an integrated security solution for consumers and small businesses. Our next generation firewall complements our latest anti-virus services to provide users with an easy-to-use, yet powerful protection system that proactively monitors and guards their home or small office network."
Pricing has been set at $29.95 USD with a Professional edition in the works available for $39.95 USD. Both products will be available early next year and additional information is up on the McAfee Web site.