McAfee.com is the latest company to integrate Grid computing with Web
services, combining Grid power with a Web services framework in its
next-generation Web Security Services.
McAfee said Grid Security Services, previously code-named Project M2,
"represents a revolutionary new concept that brings together the
massively distributed computing capabilities of Internet-based Grid
technologies with XML-based Web security services to provide powerful
real-time security to millions of users and businesses on the
Internet."
McAfee will implement a security Grid with millions of sensors all over
the Internet, continuously preventing, analyzing and reporting security
threats to a central hub through a Web services framework. The hub, in
turn, will process this data and provide real-time alerts and
immunization to the rest of the systems on the Grid.
Protection Against Viruses, Hackers
Security data from the Grid will be available to anyone who installs the
McAfee.com SecurityCenter. The SecurityCenter is an integral component
and the first phase of the Grid Security Services initiative, McAfee
said, offering a single interface to access McAfee.com applications and
acting as a central dashboard for users to view their security status.
It will allow for always-on security and a secure transfer of select,
limited information between McAfee.com and each double opted-in user,
providing a real-time indicator of security threats, virus outbreaks and
vulnerabilities based on information gathered and shared across the
network.
As more and more users download the initially free SecurityCenter and
become part of the Grid, the services will continue to improve,
providing immediate notification of and protection against viruses,
hacker attacks, and privacy invasions as threats arise, McAfee said.
"The massively distributed architecture of the Internet, interconnected
through open standards, provides a platform to utilize the power of
Grid-based computing towards solving a very real problem - the problem
of constantly securing the global Internet in real time as threats
arise," McAfee.com CEO Srivats Sampath said in a statement.
McAfee outlined the key components of Grid Security Services as
follows:
Grid Nucleus: The Grid nucleus is composed of a series of secure
origin servers that act as an up-to-date repository of information
gained by tracking the status of the entire Grid. When an event is
registered anywhere on the Grid, the information is shared through this
repository so that nodes on the Grid may be made aware of threats as
soon as they occur. McAfee.com security services are tied into these
servers, allowing for the immediate updating and up-to-the-minute
protection against the latest threats as they arise.
Sensors and Protectors: Grid protectors are Web services that
provide key security, such as anti-virus, personal firewall, intrusion
detection and tracing, spam filtering and identity protection. These
services, residing on every end-node or system on the Grid, interoperate
with the rest of the components using an XML-based schema. Grid sensors
are extensions to Grid protectors and provide the mechanisms to trap and
report security issues. These bi-directional sensors provide real-time
data on threats to the Grid hub and receive notifications, alerts,
immunization and updates from the hub. Grid sensors also provide
geographic coordinates to help identify the location and origin of
threats. Grid Security Services will soon have access to over one
million Grid sensors from around the Internet, via the McAfee.com
SecurityCenter.
Exchange Language: The exchange language is the XML-based schema
through which the nodes on the Grid communicate with the Grid nucleus.
McAfee.com plans to enhance this in the future to include additional
layers of security on top of SOAP and HTTP that will enable each node on
the Grid to communicate directly and securely with one another.
Grid Network: The Grid network is the network of individual nodes
that only after expressed permission by the user interact with the Grid
nucleus and in the future with one another.
Grid Alerts: Grid alerts notify end-users on the Grid about
breaking security problems inside and outside the Grid. Alerts are
configurable and can be made to use other proprietary services such as
Microsoft .NET Alerts. These alerts are already a component of the
SecurityCenter.
Grid Immunization and Updates: Grid immunization and updates are
XML-based updates containing critical immunization and update data
within McAfee.com's managed services. In the case of a new virus, this
would contain a list of signatures of the virus and its variants. In the
case of a firewall or anti-spam, this would contain a list of recently
discovered banned IP addresses or spam addresses. This allows the Grid
Security Services to learn about security threats on different parts of
the Grid and rapidly disseminate the appropriate protection to the rest
of the Grid.
McAfee said its Grid Security Services is "based on the premise that
members of a large Internet-connected community or Grid can act as
security sensors and advance warning systems for the entire community
and the Internet at large." The first phase of the Grid Security
Services initiative, the SecurityCenter, is available for download at no
cost to consumers at McAfee.com.
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