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`‘ LexisNexis®
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`Copyright 1997 InfoWorld Media Group
`lnfoWorld
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`June 23, 1997
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`SECTION: NETWORKING: Product Reviews; Pg. 64d
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`LENGTH: 1067 words
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`HEADLINE: Aventail delivers highly secure, flexible VPN solution
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`BYLINE: By Lai-I—lan Szeto
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`BODY:
`For secure remote-access needs, Aventail's MobileVPN 2.0 and AutoSocks
`2.1 comprise a virtual private network (VPN) software solution that lets you
`monitor and maintain access to your central site via application-level
`proxies.
`
`Most VPN products, such as Microsoft's Steelhead technology, Digital‘s
`AltaVista Tunnel, and Data Fellow‘s F-Secure, do not address security issues
`beyond initial log-ins, tending to be server-centric. Aventail has en-
`gineered a solution that is user-centric, taking a more in-depth approach to
`VPN implementation.
`
`Boasting nearly unmatched interoperability with other security protocols,
`MobileVPN and AutoSocks succeed as a VPN solution, but not without drawbacks:
`Unidirectional data flow prohibits broadcasting and remote administration,
`and the system requires third-party products for specific IP—layer features,
`such as IPX encapsulation.
`
`High level of security
`
`Aventail has developed its own connectivity protocol, Socks 5, which
`represents the next step in the evolution of the well-known Socks 4 protocol.
`The addition of security protocols makes Socks 5 a viable VPN tool and a
`contender to Microsoft's Point to Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP). Aventail
`implements the Socks 5 protocol in the Aventail Server, the engine of its VPN
`package. Socks 5 is based on directed architecture, as opposed to the
`tunneled architecture one usually associates with VPN technology.
`
`The server establishes a unidirectional connection with a remote client
`
`(AutoSocks) or second host site. A secured user can read, write, and execute
`to the host Server site according to the user's permission profile, but the
`host cannot likewise carry out transactions on the user's machine. This
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`Petitioner RPX Corporation - Ex. 1059, p. 1
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`Petitioner RPX Corporation - Ex. 1059, p. 1
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`Aventail delivers highly secure, flexible VPN solution InfoWorld June 23, 1997
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`setup prevents an intruder from accessing both sites.
`
`Unlike IP-based protocols such as IP Security Architecture (IPSec), a
`tunneling protocol currently in the draft stage, Socks 5 compels a user to
`pass permission requirements once that user passes the system perimeter.
`Once users traverse firewalls, Socks 5 limits access to specific parts of
`your host system. The system locks out users from directories and
`applications according to their permission profile.
`
`Socks 5 performs encryption and authentication at the session layer (Layer 5)
`of the IP packet, enabling an interoperability unmatched by most of
`Aventail's competitors.
`
`Aventail products support Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol, Secure
`Sockets Layer, and Remote Access Dial-In User Service authentication.
`In
`addition, Aventail deploys an open architecture to further enhance the
`flexibility of its products. Key management is compliant with Public Key
`Cryptography Standards. Encryption is DES and triple-DES enabled. Recently,
`Aventail announced Socks 5 capability with the lPSec, PPTP, and Layer 2
`Tunneling Protocol security protocols.
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`Outside authority
`
`I ran my VPN server on
`MobileVPN represents an achievement in usability.
`Windows NT 4.0 and used a Windows 95 client unit running AutoSocks.
`
`MobileVPN carries handy administrative tools such as Proxy Chaining and
`Credential Caching, as well as myriad conventional utilities for alias
`tables, filtering, and session parameters.
`
`AutoSocks acts as the remote-access agent that intercepts application
`requests between the client application itself and the WinSock interface. It
`offers logging and configuration GUIs that resemble a miniature version of
`MobileVPN, minus the high—level host controls.
`
`I installed both pieces with minimal hassle, minus a certificate authority
`component. Aventail has no plans to become a certificate authority vendor,
`leaving the task to third parties, such as VeriSign. Unfortunately, this
`extra service can cost from $290 to as much as $2,000 per year per server.
`
`Add this to Aventail's tiered licensing scheme, and the bottom line becomes a
`little steeper than that of most conventional VPN solutions. Whether it is
`worth the cost depends on the complexity of your security policies.
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`Fluctuating protocols
`
`Implementing VPNs is not for the faint of heart or pocketbook. Tunneling
`protocols are maturing even as I write. The key to maintaining a foothold in
`the market is flexibility. In general, developers are building modular
`products in anticipation of the Internet Engineering Task Force's final draft
`of IPSec. It is hard to say what will become of Socks 5 (or Socks 6), but
`for now it has found a little-explored niche in secured connectivity.
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`Petitioner RPX Corporation - Ex. 1059, p. 2
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`Petitioner RPX Corporation - Ex. 1059, p. 2
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`Page 3
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`Although MobileVPN and AutoSocks lack bidirectional communication and
`IP-layer features, their open architecture makes them compatible with
`multiple standards and provides a high level of security.
`
`Lai-Han Szeto (laihan_szeto@infoworld.com) is a contract analyst at the
`InfoWorld Test Center.
`
`THE BOTTOM LINE: EXCELLENT
`
`MobileVPN 2.0 and AutoSocks 2.1
`
`This virtual private network (VPN) sofiware combination offers a secure and
`easy-to-manage remote-access solution.
`
`Pros: Excellent proxy-level management; flexible architecture that
`complements other VPN and security products.
`
`Cons: Third-party products required for specific IP-layer features such as
`IPX encapsulation; no broadcasting or remote administration.
`
`Aventail Corp., Seattle; (888) 762-5785 (toll-free), (206) 777-5600; fax:
`(206) 777—5656; http://www.aventail.com.
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`Price: $4,999 per server for fewer than 25 connections; $66 per client seat
`for fewer than 25 seats. (Tiered pricing available.)
`
`Platforms: MobileVPN: Unix, Windows NT; AutoSocks: Unix, Windows 3.x, Windows
`95, Windows NT.
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`LOAD-DATE: June 23, 1997
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`Petitioner RPX Corporation - Ex. 1059, p. 3
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`Petitioner RPX Corporation - Ex. 1059, p. 3
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`