Email Security

The SonicWALL Email Security line provides perimeter-based E-mail security functions for the organization, including anti-spam, anti-phishing, and anti-virus, among other capabilities for both inbound and outbound E-mail transmissions.

The product is served in both appliance and software (the software version runs on Windows 2000 Server/Server 2003) flavors, and is deployed as a Mail Transfer Agent (MTA) on the network; in either an "all-in-one" deployment, in which both the filtering and management of the traffic is performed within the same appliance; or in a distributed redundant fashion in which multiple remote analyzers perform the filtering while a single central control center appliance provides updates, management, directory integration, and reporting tasks. Each appliance can be configured to operate as a central console, a remote analyzer, or an all-in-one deployment. SonicWALL describes their product as a "preemptive scanning MTA," noting that performance is enhanced via its ability to scan E-mails in memory before they are processed by the MTA for queuing and delivery.

Key capabilities and features of the product line include:

- Anti-spam, including checks for sender authentication (checking for inconsistency between the actual and claimed origin); sender reputation (cross-checking the sender's reputation against the vendor's proprietary DB); content analysis, including Lexigraphical Distancing (checking for variations on spam words) and "jibberish detection;" input from the vendor's collaborative real-time network of users. Additional features include image and stock-ticker spam detection. Controls are provided that enable end users to apply their own spam management.

- Anti-phishing, via header analysis, reputation checking, content analysis, cross checking against real-time phishing lists, and more. Phishing E-mail is identified separately from spam and can therefore be managed via separate rules.

- Anti-virus, including both predictive (for day-zero) and dual signature-based engine (via partnership with Kaspersky and McAfee) technologies.

- Potential zombie detection, through identification of outbound transmissions with spam or viruses, E-mails sent from addresses not in the corporate LDAP list, or high E-mail volumes from a single individual or the corporation.

- Content compliance, via the creation and enforcement of content-based policies for inbound or outbound communications. In addition to scanning for matching records, keywords, phrases, or dictionary entries the product also features "Disguised Text Identification" that attempts to identify information that has been accidentally or purposefully altered. Actions include bounce, route, notify, etc. and can be applied to everyone, specific LDAP-based groups, or individuals.

In addition to software-based deployments, the vendor offers six hardened (Linux) appliances in the SonicWALL Email Security line. All the appliances include all the protective capabilities described above, with differences primarily pertaining to scale. The 200, 300, 400, and 500 appliances scale up to a suggested user limit of 1,000; while the enterprise-scale 6000 and 8000 appliances support 5,000 and 5,000+ users. Redundant RAID protected disks are included in the 400 and later models; and the 8000 model adds redundant power and support for hot-swappable drives. All but the 8000 are 1U mini size devices (the 8000 is a full 1U).

New features in the latest SonicWALL Email Security release include support for "Bounce-Address-Tag-Validation" (BATV) for the management of non-delivery reports as the result of spam messages (i.e., the vendor states that the product can now distinguish between legitimate bounces and spam-initiated bounces by uniquely tagging outbound messages and checking for the tag when bounces are received); increased language detection (adding Dutch, French, and Swedish); performance monitoring enhancements; and licensing that allows the purchasing of any appliance and user-pack combination (user-packs are sold at 25, 50, 100, 250, 500, 750, 1000, 2000, 5000, and 5000+ users) per the customer's needs.

SonicWALL Email Security is available now. July 1, 2008 pricing for the 6000 model is $6,995, while the 8000 model will be priced at $17,995.

Visit the SonicWALL Web site for further information.