REDMOND, Wash., Jan. 7, 2003 — Microsoft Corp. today announced the immediate availability of Microsoft® Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2000 Feature Pack 1. The first feature pack for ISA Server includes new application-layer firewall defenses and innovative security enhancements for customers of Microsoft Exchange Servers, including Outlook® Web Access (OWA), and customers of Internet Information Services (IIS), as well as support for RSA Security Inc.’s RSA SecurID®
two-factor authentication solution. With the introduction of Feature Pack 1, the Security Business Unit (SBU) at Microsoft adds a new layer of security to help protect customer networks, one of the core tenets of the Trustworthy Computing initiative. Microsoft posted ISA Server Feature Pack 1 on its Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/isaserver/featurepack1/ for customer download.
“Most firewalls are not designed to protect Exchange and IIS against the sophisticated attacks that we see today,”
said Craig Fiebig, general manager of the Security Business Unit at Microsoft.
“The combination of ISA Server and Feature Pack 1 helps increase the security of Exchange Server and IIS deployments even when they are already protected by a traditional firewall product.”
Designed to defend against evolving threats, ISA Server Feature Pack 1 includes new security features and deployment wizards to help deliver tightly integrated security while simplifying configuration for Exchange Server and IIS installations.
“As Internet-based attacks continue to gain complexity, it’s important for a security product like ISA Server to adapt and address the changing landscape,”
said Charles Kolodgy, research manager at IDC Corp.
“ISA Server Feature Pack 1 offers strong and focused functionality that help add security to Exchange and Outlook Web Access deployments while maintaining application integrity and performance.”
Customers of all sizes need additional security at the network edge, and ISA Server with Feature Pack 1 helps provide the in-depth defense customers seek.
“The tools included in ISA Server Feature Pack 1 have helped us add an additional layer of security to our networks, which is critical for our business,”
said Len Couture, chief information officer of Enterasys Networks Inc.
“The integration of URLScan into Feature Pack 1 means that common Web server vulnerabilities should be blocked at the firewall edge, before they are ever presented to an internal Web server, helping make our ISA Server deployment stronger and more secure.”
Information Week (Nov. 16, 2001) forecasts 35 million users will access customer networks remotely by 2005. Ensuring secure access for these remote connections is rapidly becoming a mandatory deployment requirement. ISA Server Feature Pack 1 offers a fast, simple and highly reliable way to verify a user’s identity before granting access to network resources.
“RSA Security is focused on providing organizations with the tools necessary to implement e-business processes within a secure, trusted and convenient environment,”
said Bill McQuaide, senior vice president of the Authentication division at RSA Security.
“We are pleased to work with Microsoft as it delivers a comprehensive security solution like ISA Server with Feature Pack 1 that helps customers protect their networks and network-based applications.”
Internet access and e-mail are critical for commercial and government customers. Feature Pack 1 includes several new features that help improve the security of Exchange and Web servers. Enhanced SMTP filtering technology boosts e-mail security by rejecting unwanted messages. The integration of URLScan helps defend networks from evolving Internet attacks. System administrators will benefit from scenario walkthroughs, technical documentation and wizards that address commonly asked questions, making configuring ISA Server 2000’s Exchange Server and IIS defenses much simpler.
Customers can use the new features in ISA Server Feature Pack 1 to address the following scenarios:
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Help enhance security for Exchange Server deployments. An enhanced SMTP filter screens e-mail based on sender, domain, keyword, attachment name, extension or size and any SMTP command and its length with increased security and stability. Improvements to the Exchange RPC filter enforce 128-bit RPC encryption for remote Outlook-to-Exchange communication and enable Outlook clients protected by ISA Server to access external Exchange Server-based computers.
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Help increase security for Web and OWA server installations. ISA Server Feature Pack 1 includes new integration with RSA Security’s strong two-factor user authentication technology, RSA SecurID software, as well as new delegation functionality for RSA SecurID and basic authentication. URLScan for ISA Server is also included, which helps protect Web and Outlook Web Access server computers from complex Internet-based attacks.
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Improve ease of use for administrators. New enhancements include an Outlook Web Access wizard; an RPC Filter Configuration wizard; a link translator, which eliminates the need to re-architect intranet Web sites when making them available on the Internet; and new scenario walkthroughs and troubleshooting documentation that support easy configuration and maintenance of Exchange Server and IIS deployments.
About Microsoft ISA Server
Microsoft’s Internet Security and Acceleration Server 2000 helps provide secure, fast and manageable Internet connectivity by integrating an extensible, multilayer enterprise firewall. ISA Server’s enterprise firewall is optimized for application-layer defense and also helps protect customer installations with stateful inspection, virtual private networking and secure publishing. ISA Server also provides a sophisticated, scalable, high-performance Web cache that can improve performance and save network bandwidth resources.
About Exchange Server
Exchange is the leader in messaging and collaboration, with more than 110 million licenses sold. Exchange is the easy-to-manage messaging and collaboration platform that provides e-mail, calendaring, instant messaging, conferencing and XML Web services for custom collaborative applications that bring people and information together. Exchange delivers enhanced reliability, scalability, manageability and performance with a lower total cost of ownership.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software — any time, any place and on any device.
Microsoft and Outlook are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
RSA and SecurID are registered trademarks of RSA Security Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
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