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27 December 2009

Airports: Neither Secure Nor Convenient

Filed under: security, travel - 27 Dec 2009

When discussing computer security with people, something I often bring up is this very simple equation:

What this means is that

1 May 2009

Ditching the WDS Mesh and Going HomePlug AV

Filed under: connectivity, gadgets, networking - 01 May 2009

tpl-302ekFor a while now, the family computers were connected to the Internet using a couple of WiFi routers: one was in a WDS Mesh with my router upstairs …

20 April 2009

One Icon To Rule Them All

Filed under: business, check point, computers, software, windows - 20 Apr 2009

One of the things I will not miss about working for Nokia is all of the crap that the IT department loads on the company laptops. Aside from all the end-user apps, there were different programs for:

Firewall (it wasn’t the …

4 April 2009

The Long Goodbye

Filed under: check point, nokia, security - 04 Apr 2009

Over my 10 years in Nokia’s Security Appliance Business, I have met a lot of people. Many of these people worked in the business and moved onto other areas of Nokia. Others were the direct result of my “poking around.” …

8 March 2009

You Know More Than I Do

Filed under: check point, software - 08 Mar 2009

While I know Kellman is going to write about his troubleshooting presentation at CPX (I looked through it, was pretty comprehensive), I wanted to borrow a slide from his presentation that I believe

6 March 2009

Humbled

One of the things that is making this transition to Check Point Software easier is the community of people that support, use, and sell what used to be called Firewall-1, but now goes by a few different names and offers …

26 February 2009

Fun With SPLAT, VMware, and IPSO

Filed under: check point, gripes, nokia - 26 Feb 2009

Seeing as how I have my Check Point CCSE again, and it’s likely I’m going to be working for Check Point at some point in the near future, I figure it’d be worth my while to get a “proper” Nokia firewall going again. I opted for the following:

NGX R65 HFA_40 SmartCenter on Secure Platform (SPLAT) installed in a VMware VM
NGX R62 HFA_01 firewall installed on a Nokia IP260

Yes, I realize that R62 is going EOL in May. However, the IP260 is by far the quietest machine I have around here, and if I’m going to have it on all the time, I want it quiet. That’s another reason I went with a management station in a VM: the machine the VM runs on is relatively quiet.

To frame my experience properly, it’s probably worth reiterating some facts:

At some point in my life, I was considered an expert on the Check Point VPN-1 product. Maintaining an FAQ and writing two books on the product gives people that impression, even today ;)
The last time I did anything serious with Check Point was back in the NG AI days, which is about where my second Check Point Firewall-1 book goes up to. In other words, roughly 5 years ago.
I currently maintain the knowledge base for Nokia’s Security Appliance Business which, unsurprisingly, has a lot of Check Point-related stuff in it. Yes, I read a lot of stuff about the product even though I haven’t got a lot of recent, practical experience with the product.
I have never, prior to the CPUG University class I took recently, even seen SPLAT, much less installed it on anything.

With these facts in mind, I created a blank VM and loaded up the SPLAT ISO. How hard can it be, I figure?

15 February 2009

Go Get Your CCSA and CCSE at CPUG University

Filed under: check point - 15 Feb 2009

If you’re looking to get your Check Point CCSA and CCSE certifications, I can’t think of a better way to do it than going and taking your training from CPUG University. This 6-day boot camp, class taught by Barry …

8 February 2009

Watching All The Cameras At The Inaguration

Filed under: Services, security, voip - 08 Feb 2009

inauguration2_hI got an email from the National Science Foundation regarding an interesting technology they used to watch all the surveillance cameras at President Obama’s inauguration. According

4 February 2009

Finding a Needle When You Can’t Look in the Haystack

Filed under: business, messaging, networking, security - 04 Feb 2009

Long before I was a security geek, I was a systems administrator. Oh sure, security goes with the territory when you’re a systems administrator, but it’s only one aspect of the job.

Needless to say, I’ve maintained email servers as part …

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