RE: Full Disk Laptop Encryption

["Bob Beringer" <bob () eor us>]

Geoff,

Thanks for the email.

The TecSec solution has been 20+ years in the making and works on most platforms.  As such, it has abstracted toolsets 
that address your concerns below and apply those benefits to the entire enterprise and each of the various systems in 
play.  Further the solution has an API and a set of agents, clients and other mechanisms to properly support most COTS 
and other internally developed applications that are seen in most larger production environments around the world.

The 3Com NIC's address the traffic on the network, but they don't necessarily allow for enterprise key management per 
user, per system, per application, per dataset, per file, and even more granularly on per object basis that allows for 
protection all the way up until each object is pushed to the processor with various appropriate credential sets.

3Com solutions are great for up to a certain point in traditional OSI communications, but they don't necessarily bridge 
the gap between the other applications and drivers that you mentioned below.

As for the built-in tools from XP/2003 or the like, they are getting better, but it is truly a relative response, since 
they had a very long way to come from and since those tools don’t necessarily work between various systems that are 
often found within larger networks and enterprises.

Hope this helps,
Bob



-----Original Message-----
From: gjgowey () tmo blackberry net [mailto:gjgowey () tmo blackberry net] 
Sent: Thursday, September 27, 2007 6:14 PM
To: Rob Thompson; listbounce () securityfocus com; Bob Beringer
Cc: Lafosse, Ricardo; security-basics () securityfocus com; Bob Beringer
Subject: Re: Full Disk Laptop Encryption

I'm curious about the data-in-motion criteria.  If the environment is all xp/2003 with ad then there are settings that 
can be applied via group policy to force all traffic via file smb/cifs to be encrypted.  SQL traffic can also be 
encrypted via the driver, but I don't know offhandedly if it can be forced from the server side.  Outlook connected to 
exchange server also has traffic encryption settings.  That said I really don't know how "well" MS does with their 
encryption implementation in these applications (and pptp is still the bain of VPN connection methods for its 
insecurity).  If you want to go completely transparent for encrypting data-in-motion 3Com has a whole line of network 
cards with onboard encryption as well as a policy management server.  I've never used them, but I've looked at them on 
their website many a time.

Geoff



Sent from my BlackBerry wireless handheld.

-----Original Message-----
From: "Rob Thompson" <my.security.lists () gmail com>

Date: Thu, 27 Sep 2007 14:08:15 
To:"Bob Beringer" <bob.beringer () usa net>
Cc:"Lafosse, Ricardo" <rlafosse () sfwmd gov>,security-basics () securityfocus com, "Bob Beringer" <bob () eor us>
Subject: Re: Full Disk Laptop Encryption


On 9/27/07, Bob Beringer <bob.beringer () usa net> wrote:
> Rob,
>
> Thanks for the email, a couple of the issues with PointSec right the last time that I checked is that they didn't 
> offer digital signature support, MAC agents, and don't support encryption for Data-in-Motion.  There were other 
> deficiencies that came up during our bake-off, but these are a few to get you started...  Don't get me wrong PointSec 
> has a pretty decent offering and a lot of folks like them, but I try to talk about things on list from a technical 
> perspective first.

Didn't get you wrong.  Just was curious as PointSec is a product that
I'm content with.  So if there is a user that is having issues with
it, I would like to find out - as this may be a learning experience
for me for the future.

Let's see here...  Digital Signatures, I'm looking through the help
file for the latest release that I'm getting ready to start testing to
upgrade to...  I do not see any reference to that, so I am under the
assumption that that is still not offered.  And I know that it is not
currently available with the version that I am using.

MAC agents, I do not know what you are referring to with this.  I
would make a guess, but I am seeing a few too many possibilities...
;p

Data-in-Motion - are you talking about data after it has physically
left your hard drive.  Ie.  e-mail, thumbdrives, network traffic,
etc...  If that's the case, that is definately one of the problems
that we are running into with this software, that is a feature that
upper management is looking for.  Personally, I figure once you have
gotten down to this point with data security by utilizing FDE, you're
about as protected as you should need to be.  I would try to avoid
this (if I'm in the right direction) cost by instead training
employees on data security and also hiring employees that I do not
have to question their loyalties or ethics.  Though I know that this
is easier said than done...

> An older public bake-off document was released via the link below and it might provide value to the group.
>
> http://www.networkcomputing.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=193500189

Thank you.  I'll take a peak at it.

> My team developed a really cool integrated solution with several of the whole-disk encryption solutions for 
> multi-factor authentication and remote access for some of our government clients and really had to dig into the weeds 
> to find out which solutions played better with others, so my thoughts below are tied closely to what works well in an 
> enterprise, what the goals of the organization might be and what type of integration that each environment needs.
>
> Two last notes, PGP now has a universal server and they have a MAC client with enterprise key management for the 
> MAC's. Lastly, TECSEC has a very flexible and powerful solution for encrypting objects and other data in motion as 
> well protecting as Data at Rest. (mind you in this case that flexible also might mean more initial set up time and 
> effort...)

More setup time and effort is a small price to pay when you have a
more efficient and properly configured solution deployed.  It is well
worth the time, IMO.

I will have to check into this TECSEC.  My curiosity is piqued.  Thank
you for the tip.

> I hope that this information helps :-)

Very much so.  Thank you kindly for your response.  Very well written,
by the way.  :)

> v/r
> Bob
> +12404756858
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Rob Thompson [mailto:my.security.lists () gmail com]
> Sent: Thursday, September 27, 2007 1:50 PM
> To: Bob Beringer
> Cc: Lafosse, Ricardo; security-basics () securityfocus com
> Subject: Re: Full Disk Laptop Encryption
>
> On 9/27/07, Bob Beringer <bob () eor us> wrote:
> > Ricardo,
> >
> > Pointsec has some limitations, other solutions that are worth looking into
> > are:
>
> Which would be?  I'm not trying to be confrontational, I am simply curious.
>
> I have personally used WinMagic, PointSec and PGP.  I am not familiar
> with the TecSec, though I am curious as to what limitations you would
> be referring to in regards to PointSec.
>
> IMO I would use either PointSec or SecureDoc, by WinMagic.  I would
> stay away from PGP's product like the plague.
>
> They are both extremely thorough.  Pointsec with it's current release
> is much faster, and has quite a few handy features, like disabling
> removeable media until authentication, etc...  I haven't used
> SecureDoc since it's been Linux compliant, so I can't speak on it's
> newer revisions...
>
> <snip>
>
> --
> Rob


--
Rob