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ALAMEDA, Calif., August 18, 1997-- Ascend Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASND) announced today the SecureConnect(TM) family of software products, which integrates industry-standard encryption and authentication with dynamic firewall protection. SecureConnect supports encryption and authentication capabilities defined by the IP Security (IPSec) Working Group of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) to provide scalable, secure, and interoperable IP connectivity over the Wide Area Network (WAN) for end users, corporations, and Internet Service Providers (ISPs). By combining this technology with Ascend’s dynamic firewall capability, SecureConnect simultaneously provides excellent firewall protection against uninvited intruders, while allowing the establishment of encrypted tunnels between trusted partners. Available as an option for Ascend's Pipeline remote access routers and Windows-based PC clients, SecureConnect offers the industry’s most comprehensive, fully integrated solution for commercial applications on the Internet, regardless of the type of application.
"If you don't have security everywhere, you don't have security anywhere, because just one unprotected entry point can expose enterprise-wide resources to unauthorized access," observed Dave Dawson, general manager for Ascend's network security business unit. "In addition to needing firewall solutions on both the remote and corporate sites, it's also critical to have industry-standard encryption and authentication to provide scalable, secure IP connections. SecureConnect encompasses these new features and protects valuable data from prying eyes as it traverses the Internet."
Private Communications via the Internet
The combination of firewalls, encryption and authentication accepts inbound traffic only from trusted authenticated users, while simultaneously protecting all outbound traffic with high-levels of confidentiality and integrity. With SecureConnect at every Internet interface, untrusted users can not access any internal network resources, nor can they view or alter any information while in transit. Furthermore, security administrators can maintain granular control of security options with minimal administrative burden through SecureConnect's user-friendly Windows interface.
"SecureConnect makes the Internet safe for mission-critical commercial applications, such as virtual private networks (VPNs) and electronic commerce," commented Dawson. "The products are designed to allow organizations the ability to implement robust enterprise security while outsourcing their WAN network needs to ISPs and carriers."
Industry-Standard Encryption and Authentication
SecureConnect supports both the Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP) and Authentication Header (AH) provisions defined by IPSec. ESP provides a standard means to encrypt and decrypt packets at each end of the connection across the Internet or private IP network. SecureConnect supports both the Data Encryption Standard (DES) and Triple DES (3DES) encryption algorithms, including versions approved by the Department of Commerce for export.
AH provides authentication and insures the integrity of every packet traversing the network. Users can be certain that each and every packet came from the same source, not from a "session hijacker" on the Internet, and that the packets has not been altered in transit.
The encryption and authentication features are tightly coupled with Ascend's Secure Access(TM) firewall, which has been certified by the National Computer Security Association (NCSA). Ascend's open applications programming interface (API), the Firewall Control Protocol (FCP), permits third-party control for many of SecureConnect's features.
Ascend SecureConnect provides a tunneling mechanism that hides internal network addresses for IP traffic. It can also be used to encrypt non-IP traffic traversing VPNs by encrypting other tunneling protocols, such as Ascend Tunnel Management Protocol (ATMP) and the Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP). This provides a mechanism to pass non-IP protocols such as IPX and AppleTalk over the Internet with total confidence in the privacy and integrity of the data as it passes through the public network. Both ESP and AH can be used with IP traffic in intranets and extranets, as well as with non-IP protocols that can be tunneled across the Internet using ATMP and L2TP.
"Full compliance with industry standards, combined with state-of-the-art firewall technology, makes SecureConnect a model for Internet security," said John Morency, Director of the Network Industry Practice of The Registry Inc. "SecureConnect provides corporations with mechanisms to use the Internet with confidence for any and all applications required. The product leverages the security features of Ascend's product line, which is installed in a significant number of corporations and ISPs throughout the world, while maintaining strong interoperability with systems from other vendors."
Centralized Security Management
An enhanced version of Ascend’s Secure Access Manager (SAM) provides centralized management of SecureConnect solutions. Administrators can use SAM's Web-based interface to define VPN tunnels to extend corporate intranets over the WAN or create extranet relationships with business partners and customers. SAM automatically generates remote-end firewalls and issues encryption keys as necessary. Encryption keys are passed securely to remote sites using secure Web servers such as Netscape Enterprise Server and Microsoft Merchant Server. Ascend's Firewall Control Manager, announced July 29, 1997, authenticates VPN participants on a session-by-session basis and dynamically allows them appropriate access to VPN resources beyond the firewall.
Ascend's SecureConnect Architecture
The SecureConnect architecture encompasses all three dimensions of total network security: protection of resources, proof of identity, and privacy of information. Other aspects of SecureConnect, implemented in Ascend's MAX and Pipeline(R) families of remote networking products, include Password and Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocols (PAP and CHAP); support for third-party token cards; Calling Line ID (CLID) and callback; and Network Address Translation (NAT). Access Control is Ascend's Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS) database solution that provides authentication, authorization and accounting management for the MAX.
"With Ascend's SecureConnect, we were able to deploy a totally secure network at a fraction of the cost of the alternatives," according to Bill Hasse, Team America. "The combination of Access Control and SecureConnect gives us seamless integration for Internet, intranet and extranet access. The management infrastructure scales well and is easy to use through a single Windows NT console."
Availability
SecureConnect is available immediately as add-on software options for three models of Ascend's Pipeline remote access routers, as well as in a Personal Edition for PCs running Windows 95 or Windows NT
SecureConnect products are sold to individual end users and corporations through ISPs and other Ascend resellers. The Personal Edition is available in quantities. Site licensing is also available for Personal Edition.
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