Virtual Security Appliance - Security Appliance History

Security Appliance History

Traditionally, security appliances have been viewed as high performance products that may have had custom ASIC chips in it that allow for higher performance levels due to its dedicated hardware approach. Many vendors have started to call pre-built operating systems with dedicated applications on dedicated server hardware from the likes of IBM, Dell and offshore brands “appliances”. The appliance terminology although heavily used now has strayed from its original roots. An administrator would expect to see any underpinning Linux OS employ a monolithic kernel since the hardware platform is presumably static and vendor-controlled. However, the following examples are configured to use loadable kernel modules, reflecting the dynamic nature of the underlying hardware platforms used by product managers. "Appliances" have varying degrees of administrative openness. Enterasys Dragon version 7 IPS sensors (GE250 and GE500) are lightly hardened version of a Slackware Linux distribution, complete with administrative vulnerabilities, and shipping with anonymous root access the preferred method of administration of the underlying OS. Motorola AirDefense management consoles are shipped as an "appliance" without supported root access. Administrative setup tasks are performed via a textual menus running as an unprivileged user. Websense DSS sensor devices use CentOS 5.2 underneath and also allow root access at setup time. McAfee's older e-Policy Orchestator distributions use a RedHat 7 -based distribution, but modifications to typical OS configuration files are reset on reboot. Most of these devices primary configuration are via web interfaces. The implication that patches are not required for appliances is less accurate than the implication that vendors will be less apt to provide swift modular patches without complete reimaging of the devices. Companies such as NetScreen Technologies and TippingPoint defined security appliances by having dedicated hardware with custom ASIC chips in them to deliver high performing Firewall and Intrusion Prevention technology respectively. These companies defined there specific markets in the early 2000-2004 time frame.