Windows Gets Untangled

By Alex Handy

September 9, 2008 — To combat the problem of expensive network security implementations, Untangle has ported its flagship software to Windows, allowing admins to turn any old Windows box into a multi-purpose safety gateway.

Untangle for Windows is a free suite of blocking and filtering software that turns a standard Windows machine into and end-point gateway that can stop phishers, porn sites and denial-of-service (DOS) attacks.

Dirk Morris, CTO and co-founder of Untangle, said that Untangle for Windows runs on “any old desktop [lying] around, and it will go out there and filter anything on the network. You don't have to change anybody's routes,” said Morris.

Morris said that the company hopes to earn its money from paid-for add-ons for the free software suite. Untangle for Windows comes complete with spam, content, phishing and DOS attack blockers, as well as Web filters, OpenVPN, firewall and quality-of-service reporting tools. To that retinue, commercial subscribers can add Active Directory support and more advanced virus stoppers from Kaspersky Lab.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Untangle for Windows is its use of ARP poisoning for good. When installed, Untangle for Windows runs out to all of the network equipment nearby and inserts rules that push all traffic through its host machine. Morris said that this is, perhaps, the only commercial use of ARP poisoning for good instead of evil.

“It basically juggles all the host MAC tables such that they all think the host machine is Untangle. It says, 'Here's the gateway.' It also fools the gateway into saying all these hosts are over here in the Untangle devices. In the past this type of technology has been used for man-in-the-middle attacks,” said Morris.

That poisoning means that simply installing Untangle will modify the network to adhere to its strict regiment of filtering. Of course, that also means Untangle isn't appropriate for large networks. Morris said that the target of this tool suite is small businesses, but he also said that it could be useful in satellite offices that are trying to limit their use of hardware.

Untangle for Windows is available today, and is already available for Linux.

Related Search Term(s): security, Windows, Microsoft, Untangle

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Windows Gets Untangled

By Alex Handy

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