All You Need to Know about Watch Guard Application Control

To respond an extraordinary request, WatchGuard AP322 Outdoor access point offers a new package that includes all security services. Buy Watch Guard Firebox M200 with the new Total Security Suite that provides comprehensive security solutions that enable organizations to implement policies and protect their networks against modern malware and ransomware. Total Security Suite is WatchGuard’s recommended solution for comprehensive threat protection. The Security Suite proposed so far is now termed as the Basic Security Suite. The Total Security Suite is composed of complete UTM security services, plus:

• APT Blocker
• Accidental data leak prevention service (DLP)
• Dimension Command
• Gold Support (24/7)
• Additional security services
• New technology for threat detection and terminal response

Protect your local network with WatchGuard Firebox M200

With a Linux-based box, WatchGuard’s security solution protects the local network (up to 500 users) in your organization. Designed to protect local networks connected to the internet, the Watch Guard Live Security System solution consists of a box (Firebox II) and its administration software (Watch Guard Live Security Control Center). The latter gathers firewall administration tools, used to apply the security policy defined by the company; a monitoring tool to visualize the bandwidth consumed; a graphical tool showing the current connections; and finally, a reporting tool, responsible for logging all the events inside the log files.

1. Install the administration software

It is easier to configure the Firebox II before installing it in the local network. For this, you must connect this box to the computer in charge of the administration. The configuration takes place via the serial port, but it is still better to go through TCP / IP, by connecting the console directly to the Firebox II using one of the provided crossover cables. For the sake of simplification, this machine contains log files and receive alerts. The next step is to set up the Watch Guard Live Security Control Center software on the admin set from the CD. This computer must have an active connection to the internet. Indeed, before settling down, the software checks if there is no more recent version on the website of the publisher. If so, it can be downloaded and installed.

2. Configure the Firebox Box

WatchGuard Firebox M200 is configured using the Quick Setup Wizard. Two options are proposed. Called Drop-In Mode, it is the first in used when the local network does not have subnets. All Firebox ports have the same IP address. The second option, named Routed Mode, is only used when there are subnets with different IP addresses. In Drop-In mode (the most common), the configuration is limited to assigning the IP address and two passwords. It is then saved both in a file placed on the administration station and in the flash memory of the Firebox.

3. Connect to the local network

Once the configuration is complete, put the WatchGuard Firebox in place and make the final connections. The box has 3 10/100 Mbit / s Ethernet ports. In the most common configuration, the first port, called External, is connected to the router. The second, called Trusted, is for the local network. Connectors or switches in the system connect to the system. Finally, the last port, called Optional, is intended for computers in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). HTTP, SMTP or FTP servers usually use it.

4. Configure internet access

To create the “Proxies-HTTP” service, go to the “Edit / Add Service” menu of the Policy Manager and select it from the “Proxies” Services list. Then click on the “Add” button to display its icon in the software window. Double-click on this icon to open its property page. Keep the default values in the “Incoming” and “Outcoming” tabs since you will allow, in principle, outbound HTTP connections, but not incoming ones.

5. Set the WebLocker

Click on the “WebLocker Control” tab. This filtering system helps you to control in an exact way the sites consulted by the users. It links to a database containing more than 65,000 regularly updated site addresses. It allows you to specify which sites are allowed during business hours (“Operational Hour”) or outside those hours (“Non-Operational Hour”). Any modification saved in the flash memory of the WatchGuard Firebox M200 and is taken into account after restarting the box.

Keep visiting Catos Systems for more informational articles, blogs and daily updates from the industry.