Advanced Web Threat Protection
Today's web threats are growing exponentially and getting increasingly sophisticated. Old-school antivirus and web filtering are no longer enough. Our approach to web protection that integrates a variety of advanced methods, identifying and blocking today's web threats before they become a problem.
Stay ahead of the latest web threats using technologies like JavaScript emulation, behavioral analysis, HTTPS scanning and call-home detection. And most importantly, get the backing of a world-class web-threat analysis operation like SophosLabs, delivering Active Protection and Live Updates to you around the clock.
Bi-directional, Multi-layer Protection
We go way beyond URL filtering or antivirus to catch threats at a variety of stages. Our URL filtering blocks known bad sites based on reputation and our antivirus scans attachments and downloads for known viruses. But we go beyond that by scanning all web content for signs of malicious intent. And by monitoring web requests so we can to identify malware at work by calling home.
Advanced Web Malware Heuristics
Code sandboxing and JavaScript emulation lets us perform behavioral analysis on all active web content. It allows us to identify threats and malware before it passes to the browser. This practice identifies obfuscated, polymorphic and zero-day threats without putting your users at risk.
High-performance Scanning
None of this advanced web protection is any good if it introduces latency and delay for users accessing the web. And that's exactly the problem with most competitive solutions. But not at Sophos. We've invested heavily in optimizing performance, letting our engine scan everything in a single, efficient pass. It adds only a few milliseconds and keeps your users happy and productive. No one else offers the same level of protection and performance.
HTTPS Scanning
Malware and other threats can hide in the encrypted traffic from trusted websites. Our HTTPS Scanner lets you see this traffic and block malicious content.
Learn more about HTTPS scanning
Our HTTPS scanner looks deep inside traffic, identifying viruses, spyware and other malicious content accessed over HTTPS. We use an advanced man-in-the-middle approach to provide a full range of control. We act as a trusted authority so we can completely scan HTTPS, protecting your network even if a trusted website becomes compromised. And we prevent programs that tunnel over HTTPS—like anonymous surfing—from connecting.
Our HTTPS scanning provides:
- Transparent de-encryption and re-encryption of HTTPS traffic via a trusted man-in-the-middle technique that won't slow down the experience
- Complete scanning of encrypted HTTPS sessions and their contents via our Advanced Web Threat Protection, making sure your blind spots are covered
- URL filtering and proxy blocking for HTTPS sites so users are exploiting our encryption-to-bypass policy
- Automatic validation of server certificates keeps users from inadvertently trusting certificates they shouldn't
- Granular tuning and exceptions let you balance security with user privacy when warranted
Call-home Protection
If a malicious threat does manage to take hold on your network, it will invariably try to use the web to call-home with sensitive information or data. That's where call-home protection becomes vitally important. We not only block requests for malware calling home, but we'll identify the suspicious machines or devices on your network. We'll let you know so you can take action before an embarrassing breach occurs.
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Compliance and Productivity Filtering
It's important to control web access to protect users from inappropriate or offensive content. You need to protect your organization from legal liability issues, as well as protect your network and boost productivity.
You need active policy controls providing granularity and flexible options without slowing you down or creating a burden for your help desk. And that's one area where we’ve gone out of our way to make sure your job is easy. No one makes compliance or productivity filtering on the web easier.
URL Filtering
Our URL filtering gives you complete control over who can access what websites and when. Easily control entire categories, individual sites or even applications or games within a mash-up site. We know the web changes quickly and so can the tools and sites your users need to do their jobs as well. That's why we've made active policy changes a breeze to manage. Don't get bogged down in the day-to-day task of managing web access.
Learn more about URL filtering
You get:
- Control billions of pages, across millions of sites, in several languages, conveniently grouped into 56 categories
- Convenient options in the setup wizard let you block common inappropriate or offensive sites with a single check box
- A unique, powerful site tagging feature allows you to create your own custom categories of sites to either block or allow for both individual users or groups
- Optimized workflows for active policy changes on the fly let you allow site access, handle user requests and adjust policies with just a couple of clicks
Web 2.0 Control
Web 2.0 applications, including social media, are ingrained in our personal and business lives. Any framework depending on user-submitted content is inherently ripe for exploitation, making these applications risky. These applications can also impact worker productivity.
You need a web security solution that provides granular access to important Web 2.0 and social networking tools without sacrificing security. That's exactly what you get with Sophos Web Protection.
Learn more about Web 2.0 control
You get:
- Granular social networking control—Providing control over individual elements within a site, such as Facebook chat or games, while still allowing users to check their wall or update their status
- Webmail, blog and forum controls—Control users sending webmail or posting to blogs or forums, which can create significant data-loss risks
- Web download and application control—Control various types of potentially unwanted web-based applications by preventing them from downloading (Web Appliance) or running (when using Endpoint App Control)
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Protect Users Everywhere
Offsite workers, users on mobile devices and guests can all present an enormous security challenge. Traditionally, it's been very difficult to provide efficient web protection to users who don't fall within the normal definition of an office worker.
Not anymore. Sophos is solving today's top problems on the web using unique and innovative technologies, making sure everyone stays protected on everything.
Offsite User Protection
We provide web protection everywhere users go, in the office, at home or on the road. By integrating our Web Appliances with our Endpoint Protection, we provide a holistic solution that connects through the cloud, keeping your users protected at all times. We call it our Web Protection Suite. And no one offers anything else like it.
In the past, virtual private networks (VPNs) and other traffic redirection or backhauling solutions we’re required to protect offsite users. They were complex, expensive, slow and often represented a single point of failure. Thankfully, they're not necessary any more.
Learn more about offsite user protection
With our Web Protection Suite, you get:
- A complete web protection solution, combining the best of our web gateway appliances, cloud and endpoint in a single license
- Web scanning integrated into the Endpoint agent. All the policy enforcement and web protection you get in our Web Appliance now travels with users everywhere they go
- Seamless and secure connectivity. Get instant real-time web activity reporting and policy updates over our LiveConnect cloud service. This service communicates the update from the Web Appliance console directly to your endpoints
- Location-aware policies and logging options that can apply to users in the office, offsite or both. Provide a great balance of security and privacy for your offsite users
- Offsite user protection when you combine our Web Appliances with our Endpoint Protection (see our Web Protection Suite for more information). It's unique in the industry, providing instant visibility and real-time policy updates to users on and off the network.
Mobile Device Protection
BYOD is a fact of life in many organizations. Users are bringing their own tablets, phones and even laptops to work, and needing or wanting web access on your network.
The problem with most of these mobile devices is that the don't support traditional authentication options. So, you can't tell who's using them and apply the appropriate policy. You've traditionally been left with the option of either banning use altogether or allowing total unsecure access. Neither of these options are acceptable anymore.
We've solved the challenge of BYOD by enabling a variety of authentication options. Your users can access the web according to their normal browsing policy in a way that's easy and convenient for everyone.
Learn more about mobile device protection
- Setup different authentication profiles by device type—iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Windows, Kindle, etc.—or by IP subnet or address range, or even by application
- Choose to authenticate users with single sign-on for Macs or PCs supporting it. Or use a captive portal to automatically redirect users to a webpage allowing them to enter their credentials and start surfing the web using their normal corporate policy
- Force a time-out on the captive portal login where devices may be shared. Make sure users are not surfing on someone else's policy
Guest Access and Shared Workstations
Mobile devices can present authentication issues for safe web access. The same is true of guests and users sharing a single workstation.
We've solved this by extending our authentication profile solution for mobile devices to include these common use cases. Give your guests temporary credentials or provided safe web access on a particular subnet. You can handle shared workstations easily while tracking individual user activity in the event issues arise.
Learn more about guest access and shared workstations
- Setup different authentication profiles by device type—iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Windows, Kindle, etc.—or by IP subnet or address range, or even by application
- Choose to authenticate users with single sign-on for Macs or PCs supporting it. Or use a captive portal to automatically redirect users to a webpage allowing them to enter their credentials and start surfing the web using their normal corporate policy
- Force a time-out on the captive portal login where devices may be shared. Make sure users are not surfing on someone else's policy
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Management and Reporting
No one makes deployment and management of web protection easier. Our streamlined setup wizard will have you up and running in minutes. You'll get optimized workflows for common tasks, an actionable dashboard with insights into what's happening on your network, rich reporting and forensic capabilities and our unique, managed appliance experience.
We're unique in the industry for providing the best of an on-premise appliance with a managed service experience. You never have to worry about patches, updates or upgrades ever again. And we even monitor your appliance remotely. If there's a problem with your Sophos appliance, we'll know before you do. And of course, since the appliance is at your site, you have complete control over your data. The way it should be.
Simplified Management
At Sophos, simplicity is our mantra. We've invested heavily in streamlining the management experience of our products. This way, you don't have to reach for the manual every time you need to update a policy or change a setting.
You're never more than three clicks from anywhere in the console. That's saying a lot, given that some of our competitors want you click dozens of times to perform even the simplest task.
Learn more about simplified management
See what else you get.
- Our setup wizard guides you through the process of setting up your initial policies and global settings, as well as director service integration and more. You'll be up and running in just a few minutes
- Optimized work flows with wizards for common tasks. Easily set up new role-based administrators, setting up new policies, scheduled reports and more
- Convenient workflow for handling user requests that allow you to add sites to their policy with just a few clicks
- One-click options quickly enable complex and sophisticated security such as HTTPS scanning, dynamic proxy blocking, safe search and much more
- Simplified ActiveDirectory or eDirectory integration for user-based policy and reporting
- Manage multiple appliances across one or more locations for thousands of users with a single Sophos Management Appliance. The appliance aggregates all reporting and allows you to push out consistent policy across your entire network
- Get role-based administration options for your helpdesk, as well as reporting and overall admin tasks with granular control over reporting by groups
Rich Reporting
Reporting is one of the most important jobs that any web protection solution does. Having accurate, clutter free and focused reports is critical.
We've got the ideal report predefined for you, with all the parameters you need to focus in on what's really important. It doesn't matter if you're trying to understand what threats are attacking your organization, what machines are infected or who's trying to access inappropriate sites. Need to know who's downloading questionable content, using all the bandwidth, or searching for inappropriate terms? We've got your report.
Learn more about rich reporting
You also get:
- An actionable dashboard with real-time visibility into threats and traffic activity on your network. Our drill-down capabilities get at the source of an issue quickly and efficiently
- Rich reports for traffic, users, groups, sites and searches. You'll have all the information you need to make sound policy decisions and take action. Stop questionable behavior before it becomes a problem
- Easily setup logical groups of users for reporting at the team or department level
- High-performance, ad-hoc reports running on-demand for the latest view into what's happening on your network
- In-depth forensic information to get to the bottom of an issue quickly and efficiently
- Scheduled reporting for stake holders with customizable report packages, periods and recipients
- Reporting administrators with access to the system. Allow them to run their own reports and monitor user activity within their team
- Export reports in a variety of formats, including PDF or CSV. Make it easy to include information in HR reports, or integrate with Syslog for further data mining
Managed Appliance Service
We're unique in the industry for providing the best of an on-premise appliance with a managed service experience. All Sophos Web Appliances come with our Managed Service at no extra charge.
You never have to worry about patches, updates or upgrades ever again. And we even monitor your appliance remotely, so we'll know before you do, if there's a problem with your Sophos appliance. And of course, since the appliance is at your site, you have complete control over your data. The way it should be. It's really like having an in-house, managed service.
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