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Web security specialist Check Point Software Technologies launched its 600 series appliances, designed to help protect small and midsize businesses against cyber-attacks, including viruses, spam and malicious Websites, among other threats.
The Check Point 600 Appliances are suitable for small offices of up to 100 employees and come in three models (620, 640 and 680), starting at $399. Each appliance model can be equipped with WiFi as an option, and are available currently from Check Point’s worldwide network of partners.
Key features of the appliances include one device-configuration for Internet access, network connectivity, and security, firewall, intrusion prevention system (IPS), next-generation firewall, and threat prevention capabilities, a simple and intuitive Web-based management for small businesses with limited IT resources, and multiple wireless access networks, enabling guest access to the Internet while limiting access to the corporate network.
“Cyber-attacks on small businesses are on the rise. It’s no longer just the larger businesses that are being attacked, but companies with 100 employees or less are also lucrative targets, and no business sector is immune,” Dorit Dor, vice president of products at Check Point, said in a statement. “With limited resources, small businesses are often not equipped to deal with the expert cyber-criminal. The 600 Appliances solve this problem and offer small businesses an inexpensive, yet comprehensive security solution that provide secure access to critical resources anywhere, anytime, while minimizing the risk of a data breach.”
Other features include anti-virus and anti-spam technologies, application control, URL filtering and virtual private network (VPN) support. The company also noted the 600 Appliances run the same next-generation firewall and threat prevention capabilities found on Check Point products used by all of its Fortune 100 customers.
All 600 series appliances come standard with 10 x 1Gbps Ethernet ports. For added flexibility, the wireless version of the 600 Appliance includes a WiFi access point (802.11b/g/n) that supports WEP, WPA and WPA2 authentication as well as secured guest access capabilities. Additionally, the included USB and PCI Express card slots allow an administrator to plug in a compatible third party 3G modem, providing an additional WAN connectivity for a redundant Internet link.
According to Verizon’s 2013 Data Breach Investigations Report released in April, of the 621 confirmed data breaches studied, close to half occurred at companies with fewer than 1,000 employees, including 193 incidents at entities with fewer than 100 workers. Increasingly, cyber-criminals are preying on small businesses as they lack the sophisticated security that larger businesses have.
When targeting companies, typically small and midsize businesses (SMBs), with ransomeware, criminals access victim networks through Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) either through unpatched vulnerabilities or weak passwords. Once they’ve gained initial access they then proceed to alter the company’s backup so that they continue to run each night but no longer actually back up any data.
The report said the risk of ransomware attacks could be reduced by ensuring remote access solutions are patched with the latest security software, mandating strong passwords for remote access and, where possible, implementing two-factor authentication. The report also recommended keeping all systems up to date with the latest anti-virus software and updates, keeping all systems patched with the latest software and training users to be aware of the security risks when interacting online.