Juniper's ScreenOS with anti-virus tools and spam filter

Network specialist Juniper Networks has expanded its ScreenOS 5.4 firewall and VPN software to include new security functions, the company has announced. The new functions include a spam filter, anti-virus tools and a policy-based routing mechanism.

These optional expansions are the fruits of collaborations with anti-virus specialists Kaspersky and Symantec. Surfcontrol is also contributing a filter system that will protect in particular against spyware, phishing attempts and spam email. The policy-based routing mechanism will expand existing firewall, VPN and other security mechanisms that Juniper has brought together under the term Unified Threat Management (UTM), the company reports.

Among other elements, ScreenOS provides a network firewall that not only inspects connection data like the address or port number of IP packets (Stateful Inspection). It also inspects the content of packets for conformity (Deep Inspection), and hence seeks to identify attacks that violate targeted specifications. ScreenOS was originally developed by Netstram, which Juniper acquired in 2004. The software works on devices for the Integrated Security Gateway series as well as on the Secure Services Gateway (SSG) product family. The additional UTM functions are only implementable on the Netscreen Security Client (HSC) of the 5GT series and the SSG series.

(ehe)