Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. is making a major move into the application security and intrusion prevention markets with a new set of capabilities for its widely deployed FireWall-1 and VPN-1 boxes.

The features contained in the new Next Generation with Application Intelligence software build on the core functionality of the platform and add the ability to detect and prevent application-level attacks and other malicious behavior that network-level firewalls often miss.


Check Point officials said the move to be announced this week is the company's biggest product enhancement in nearly two years and comes in response to similar efforts from competitors such as Cisco Systems Inc. and Network Associates Inc. Industry watchers say the new capabilities should give Check Point, which has a large installed base, a leg up in integrated network defenses.

The new offering is based on a four-part defense strategy designed to validate compliance with standards and with expected use of protocols, block malicious data, and control hazardous application operations. All are aimed at protecting networks against application attacks—the attack of choice for many crackers.

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