Rob a job week

Forget the great criminal masterminds - they're all washed up. SteveGold says even the cleverest thieves will get caught out by antivirussoftware

Selling security in the dealer channel used to be about supplying shrink-wrapped copies of Dr Solomon's latest antivirus software. But the advent of terrorist attacks on UK businesses, plus wholesale thefts of memory chips from offices, has changed the role of computer security in the channel for ever. Security is now big business - provided you're clued up.

Most IT managers these days claim to take a strategic approach to IT security in their organisations. First comes the risk analysis, then comes the weighing up of solutions, and then comes the purchasing.

Unfortunately for the IT industry, but perhaps fortunately for the channel, many IT managers pay only lip service to the first stage - that of risk analysis. Many also ignore the second stage, relying instead on their friendly reseller to come in and sell them a series of a solutions.

Contrary to what many security experts will say, developing a security solution for a client is not that dissimilar to creating a PC solution for the customer. First you take your hardware, then your software, add value - and voila, a solution.

Obviously nothing is quite as simple as all that, but building a set of security solutions for clients depends heavily on the building blocks that the canny dealer puts together in its security products arsenal.

First on that list has to be a protection mechanism against chip theft.

A couple of years ago, chain and lock systems for computer cases were de rigeur in the PC industry. That is, until thieves started prising open PC casing and ripping out the motherboards or Simms card assemblies.

Several memory chip vendors have developed their own solutions to this problem. Memory Card Technology (MCT), a memory upgrade and PCMCIA specialist, has developed its own low-cost security tagging system for chips. The system was introduced after the company's production and warehousing facility in Arhus, Denmark, was broken into and about u400,000 of chips were stolen late last year.

The MCT system works by incorporating a security module within the chip casing, along with an embossed number, as it leaves the production line.

In the event that someone tampers with the chip casing, perhaps to remove the embossed number, the security module triggers on exposure to light and renders the chip useless.

MCT maintains a database with details of customers who purchased their products. In case of theft, a stolen product can be traced back to its real owner. Users and dealers also have the option of printing their company name on the chips alongside the ID number as an additional safeguard.

Derek Allen, MCT managing director, claims the chip tagging system does not affect dealer pricing on memory chips, since the security tagging takes places during production and not after.

'Because this tagging is an integral part of our assembly process, there is virtually no price premium per unit for the added security. I believe security memory is the most cost-effective deterrent against Ram raiding,' he says.

VTEC has started shipping a range of Simms from Panasonic to the channel. The new Simms are more secure against theft because they contain a serial number and product code system, allowing Simms to be traced back to their owners.

The company claims the serial number lists are given to the police, as well as the channel, allowing chips from dubious sources or those recovered from thieves to be delivered back to their correct owners.

According to VTEC, the serial number system makes the chips less attractive in the well-developed stolen memory chip market in the Europe, something that will, in turn, make the Simms a much safer product for manufacturers and businesses to specify.

Like the MCT chips, the Panasonic chips are claimed to be as price-competitive as non-marked chips. Because VTEC only started marketing the chips in the UK a few weeks ago, the company is looking for resellers to stock the chips for onward sale to customers.

Another company looking to the dealer channel to boost its outlets is Security Dynamics, which recently launched a pan-European Var recruitment drive for its range of network security solutions.

Security Dynamics is perhaps best known for its Secur ID passkey technology, as well as for its acquisition of RSA Data Security earlier this year.

Central to Security Dynamics' security offerings is the Secur ID system, an authentication device the size of small box of matches that displays a different set of numbers every 60 seconds.

The system uses a dynamic two-factor authentication system that combines a personal PIN number from the user with a random access code (generated by the Secur ID software) that changes every 60 seconds.

But to date, Security Dynamics has concentrated on strategy and licensing deals to get Secur ID out into the market. According to company officials, the reseller push is aimed at recruiting resellers that are already providing networking solutions.

Lionel Beckett, Security Dynamics European managing director, says the Secur Var reseller will be able to provide complete computer and network security solutions by integrating the Secur ID Token technology and ACE/Server network security software. Plans call for resellers to be accredited as either authorised Secur Vars or certified Secur Vars. Security Dynamics will be providing full product and marketing support.

'We have a strong direct presence in the market as the industry-leading security products company,' says Beckett. He adds that the market growth potential of network security products is vast in Europe.

'With the appointment of dedicated channel managers and support personnel, we now have the infrastructure and business plans in place to work with the channel to extend further our sales and support operations across Europe,' he says.

According to Beckett, the authorised Secur Var will be able to market the complete range of the company's products. Certified Secur Vars, meanwhile, are planned to be an extension of Security Dynamics' own sales and support function, and will be fully qualified to install, troubleshoot and offer first-level support to users.

Full accreditation will be given after sufficient skills have been gained in the completion of a three-day certification programme. All Secur Vars, the company claims, benefit from full marketing support, co-operative marketing and structured discount plans based on their level of accreditation.

Back at the entry level to the security business, Pow Distribution has just taken the wraps off Priva Suite, an email encryption package that works as a drop-in to many existing email applications software.

According to Pow founder Daniel Power, the package, which costs u69.95, uses a 40-bit data encryption system (DES), the most powerful that is allowed for export outside of the US on an unlicensed basis.

Priva Suite functions as a printer driver with an email application.

An email package routes the message and its files to the printer, with Priva Suite intercepting the LPT command string. Priva Suite then automatically encrypts the outbound file(s) and sends them on their way transparently to the user. In-bound mail items can either be handled automatically or on demand.

Priva Suite can handle almost any file format, according to Power, encrypting the file using the DES algorithm. It can also be set up to handle fax image files. In use, Priva Suite will run under Windows on a 386-based or faster PC with at least 4Mb of memory and 2Mb of hard disk space.

Priva Suite consists of three modules: Priva Mail for email encryption, Priva File for file encryption and Priva Soft for fax encryption. All the modules share the same user friendly interface and the same private, secure key book.

Priva Suite can be called on with a single mouse click or key combination from any application and can be applied to any segment of a document to encrypt or decrypt it.

Gandalf, a name that dealers will better associate with selling routers and ISDN adaptors, is muscling in on the security business too. The company has just enhanced the security features of its Xpress Connect 5250i remote Lan ISDN router to counter a little known security loophole in ISDN hardware.

John Smith, a product manager at Gandalf, says that while caller line identification is a feature of ISDN that cannot be changed by the originator of the call, it is possible to fool the receiving equipment into thinking the call has come from another address by breaking into the packet datastream at the beginning of the ISDN call.

'While it isn't possible to alter the header packet information that is supplied by the telco, it is possible to insert a rogue CLI packet into the datastream just after the header packet information. Using this approach, the receiving equipment can be fooled by an experienced hacker,' he explains.

Smith says such hacking techniques are beyond the reach of the traditional 'anorak' hacker, but could be carried out by someone with access to ISDN line equipment. 'This would mean the person doing the hacking had access to some serious equipment, not just the usual ISDN hardware that customers use,' he says.

The Gandalf ISDN router has protection from such hacking, because it has a number of security functions built in. Version 3.2 of Xpress Connect 5250i uses a multilevel dialback security system to ensure the calling remote party is exactly who it says it is.

In addition to normal dial-back procedures, where the central system dials back the number sent by the remote unit from its secure memory, the software in version 3.2 of can be used with the Radius and Tacacs security systems.

With a Radius server on the central Lan, the 5250i sends a password authentication protocol (Pap) ID and password, or the challenge handshake authentication protocol (Chap) user name, Chap system ID, Chap challenge, and Chap challenge response of the remote user to the Radius authentication server. For additional protection, the Pap password is encrypted before it is sent to the server for verification.

Pricing on the 5250i router remains unchanged with the enhanced security software seen in version 3.2. Pricing of the routers depends on the system configuration that is required.

Keeping tabs on security across a network may sound tricky, but not when the IT manager is sold a network manager package that includes a high degree of security features.

Cylink has started shipping its Secure Manager System, a portfolio of software that allows network administrators comprehensive control of security functions on a network using its Secure Lan and Secure Wan encryption and access control applications.

David Moseley, Cylink representative, says that by using Secure Manager and the Secure Lan range of software, network supervisors can tailor network groupings, assigning specific security levels to individual networks, domains, sub networks or nodes.

The idea behind Secure Manager is that it operates on a standalone basis or in conjunction with Hewlett Packard's Open View network management platform. The software uses the SMNP comms standard to prevent data traffic being compromised by spoofing or eavesdropping.

By using digital certificates for authentication, unauthorised Secure Lan units are prevented from being installed and activated. The Secure Lan and Secure Wan products, once authenticated, do not rely on Secure Manager to operate in a secured environment.

According to Cylink, since Secure Manager uses a digital certificate system, there is no need for manual distribution of public keys over a communications network.

The Secure Manager system is claimed to be a complete certificate issuing authority for public key management. In use, the system issues certificates and automatically tracks and manages the authentication process.

Staying up to date with matters of a security nature is a job in itself, so many dealers are starting to look to online sources for their information.

Oakworth Business Publishing has come up with a solution called The Computer Security Encyclopedia (TCSE), an online guide to everything that resellers and their technical staff need to know about PC and Lan security.

The publication also features a comprehensive product guide and news section.

According to Robert Schifreen, the editor of the publication, TCSE is currently a 600-page data file in Adobe Acrobat format. Updates or new issues are published monthly. A subscription to the service costs u199 a year.

Another excellent source of security information that is worth checking out is West Coast Publishing's Secure Computing. The publisher charges u99 a year for a subscription to the monthly magazine, although selected and qualified readers can obtain a complimentary (controlled circulation) subscription.