What is different about Califon Systems Amigo services? There are tremendous differences between "real firewalls" and small personal,appliances or inexpensive port blocking and NAT'ing (Network Address Translation) hardware or software sold publicly under the "Firewall" label.NAT and Port Blocking are a subset of firewall techniques, and Califon Systems Amigo should not be compared to these low-end solutions.Hackers exploit more than a few techniques, and these inexpensive products offer a false sense of security to the customers.Most of the inexpensive solutions with "Personal Firewall" or "SoHo Firewall" labels are not part of the firewall context discussed here.

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False sense of security

Most people feel that if they buy "a big brand name" firewall from established vendors such as Cisco or Checkpoint they will be well protected.However, what is most important is not the brand of the firewall, but "HOW IT IS CONFIGURED,AND HOW OFTEN IT IS UPDATED.Firewalls don't simply need to be updated for new hacking approaches, but also yhe operating system of the firewall itself, and the built-in protection methods necessary to stay updated.

Most firewalls have diffucult-to-update designs or even worse, static configurations.

Califon Systems Amigo Services are designed and manufactured from ground-up based on the volatility of the security threats. Califon Systems AmigoBoxes are updated on-the-fly, without service interruption, and automatically by our AmigoCenter.

The AmigoBox is not like any other firewall device.It has all the features and benefits of most "brand name" products, and surpasses them in maintenance quality and additional features, offering you a real benefit. The AmigoBox will not work without the AmigoLink and the AmigoCenter, it is a total integrated solution designed for the future.

In fact, more and more "big brand" customers are switching to Califon Systems Amigo. The reason is simple:They get hacked!Not because their firewall is bad, but they are not updated! They were good the day they were configured initially, but for different reasons they were not kept up-to-date, new vulnerabilities are discovered and some hacker got through it.

A firewall is obsolete the day you buy it

Before configuring your "classic" firewall, your manufacturer recommends downloading the latest security updates and patches prior to installation or use.

Why? Because, between the day it was manufactured and the day you purchased it, several new vulnerabilities have most likely been discovered. Then on an ongoing basis, you need to be checking for the latest vulnerabilities and continuing the process of updates throughout the lifetime of that firewall.

There are an estimated 5000 attacks everyday in the USA.Several new bugs are found in operating systems, viruses are being distributed, new threats are revealed, and vulnerabilities discovered everyday. Do you have time and resources to read all these articles and apply the updates?

We automatically and proactively do this for you. Whenever we have an update to our firewall, or new security rules are required, our AmigoCenter professionals send or "push"those updates to your AmigoBox. Every Califon Systems Amigo customer receives the benefit of a fully-managed and monitored, up-to-date firewall service.

Dynamic and ever-changing design

Most firewalls, if correctly configured, initially offer solid and stable protection. Hackers always try to find ways to get around and through those barriers, and usually do after some time.

Califon Systems Amigo services have adaptive, ever-changing, intelligent design. Califon Systems Amigo's methodologies are a moving target for hackers.

When a hacker tries to move around the firewall (new vulnerabilities discovered), the firewall changes its shape and blocks the new road (updated vulnerabilities and rules).

To eliminate obsolescence due to industry's fast changing methodologies; Califon Systems Amigo rides the technology curve of mass market subcomponents and deploys them automatically to the existing installed base.

Can I buy the AmigoBox?

The AmigoBox is not purchased. It is part of a monthly subscription service, providing you with a lifetime warranty, constant-updating, next-generation technology. There is no software to buy, no hardware to invest, no equipment to depreciate, and no obsolescence.

Hacker and Virus Protection Services

Personalized Firewall
A firewall protects a private network against Internet based theft, destruction, or modification of data by examining all traffic passing from the Internet or Wide Area Network (WAN) to the private, Local Area Network (LAN).

In this paper, the term "Firewall" is used for real firewalls offering multiple techniques. There is a tremendous difference between "real firewalls" and small, personal appliances or inexpensive port blocking and NAT'ing (Network Address Translation) hardware or software sold publicly under the "Firewall" label.

The Califon Systems AmigoBox is based on dynamic, stateful firewall techniques. Dynamic packet filtering examines data transmissions at a low level, and is then able to more intimately interact with the firewall rules set to more precisely secure the machine. This technique allows the AmigoBox to easily block port scans, computers specified in Califon Systems Amigo Control Center and other malicious traffic such as IP spoofing.

FEATURES:
1- Efficiently separates your LAN from the public Internet.
2- Dynamic Packet Filtering that examines data transmissions at a low level, and filters more precisely.
3- Transparent Proxies to apply filter rules to the contents of TCP/IP packets.
4- Scan detection to detect and block port-scanning attempts.
5- Spoofing Detection to protect the internal host against spoofing by hostile external hosts.
6- Site Blocking to prohibit certain Internet addresses from accessing your network.
7- Network Address Translation (NAT) and masquerading of IP addresses to make your internal network completely or partially inaccessible from outside networks.
8- Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) creates a separate, partially open public area at your location for separately hosted Websites (consult with Califon Systems AmigoCenter for configuration).

DoS (Denial of Service) Mitigation
Strict firewall settings prevent DoS attacks by dropping malicious packets and reporting them to the AmigoCenter. The Califon Systems AmigoBox is also configured to only reply to ICMP ping requests from local users behind the machine and our AmigoCenter. It is "invisible" from outside, since it will not respond to pings that are used to detect a "living machine" at a given address. This mitigates "Smurf" and other DoS attacks relying on servers that reply to ping requests.

EMAIL VIRUS SCRUBBING
Califon Systems Amigo sanitizes customer email, which provides end users with a number of security features and benefits. Potentially dangerous HTML code, such as JavaScript, within incoming mail is disabled. Califon Systems Amigo customers are protected against email based break-in attempts which exploit bugs in common email programs such as Outlook, Eudora, Pine, etc. Attachments are blocked or "mangled" based on their file characteristics. Invalid MIME headers are fixed and truncated.Visual Basic script attachments are scanned and disabled if necessary to alleviate security risks involved with Trojans and viruses.

ANTI-SPAMMING FILTER
The AmigoBox provides a dual tier anti-spamming filter protection schema. Tier one is a global level that affects all mail users by subscribing them to the real time black hole list (RBL) to ensure the latest spam protection. This list is updated in real time. Tier two is provided through the Web mail interface at a user level. Users may choose to subscribe to a few different anti-spam list services all updated real time or create their own message filters based on data from email headers and bodies.

EMAIL SERVICES

Email Server & Backup
Host and access all your company's email needs on the AmigoBox with an easy to use Web configuration interface. The AmigoBox supports IMAP4, POP3, and Web mail access for local and mobile remote users. If used, email and mail folders are backed up to an unmounted partition nightly where they may be completely restored in case of an emergency.

EMAIL ACCOUNT SET-UP
Califon Systems Amigo provides all the necessary support and training materials necessary to set-up your company's email accounts on your local AmigoBox server.An administrator at the customer site has administrative rights over the company's email set-up and management. Of course, Califon Systems Amigo customer support is available by phone, and FAQ's are available to customers online.

WEB MAIL INTERFACE
The AmigoBox provides a very detailed and user-friendly Web mailing systemto ensure users have the best features available in one easy to use package. Features include language translation, POP fetching from other POP accounts, mail filters, spam filters, address books, folder subscriptions, searching capabilities, message highlighting and spell checking. A shared folder on the Web interface makes file attachment sharing possible for remote users.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES OF STANDARD AMIGO SERVICES

Website Hosting Server
The Califon Systems AmigoBox Web server is setup with a custom configuration that allows us to offer secure Website hosting for basic, marketing focused Websites.

Local Web Catching
The AmigoBox locally catches commonly accessed Websites to speed up Web browsing.This feature also saves companies money by reducing total bandwidth usage.

Local DNS
The AmigoBox DNS is used for catching DNS queries to provide faster response time for local machines and save total bandwidth usage. Zone transfers are blocked to disallow hackers from obtaining information about your local network.

DHCP Server
DHCP is used to assign IP addresses, gateways and subnet masks to masqueraded workstations behind the AmigoBox. It is not possible (even with spoofing) to obtain a DHCP lease from an external network. This service is not open for public usage.

Access to Daily Reports
Your Califon Systems Amigo administrator or technical contact has access to general reports, which shows Internet traffic, Web traffic, mail traffic and system load on a yearly, monthly and daily breakdown.

AVAILABLE OPTIONS & UPGRADES

Browser Based Remote Control
Allows users to take control of a company's PC behind the firewall, without comprising the security. Unlike programs such as PCAnywhere or Go tomy PC, Amigo's remote control feature does not need a port to be open on the firewall thereby creating additional security risks, but rather it is tightly integrated with the firewall and security features to remotely access protected personal computers. Remote control has various features and benefits including multiple user access with restrictive options, allowing some companies to use this for remote training or presentations. The browser-based interface makes this feature universally available without using client software at remote locations.

VPN (VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORK)
VPN's enable companies of any size to access secure information via the Internet in a secured environment, without having to lease expensive data lines. User's of VPN's are able to access the company's basic network, accessing files as needed from remote locations.

All of Califon Systems Amigo's VPN connections are authenticated using Microsoft's challenge and response (CHAP,CHAP v2) method and data is encrypted using Microsoft's 40 and 128 bit auto-sensing MPPE encryption protocol. BSD deflate compression (algorithm analogous to zip and unzip) may also be applied to the data stream to speed up data transfers. It is also possible to initiate a plain unencrypted PTPP connection if the end user computer doesn't support encryption, compression or Microsoft's challenge response prtocol.

HIGH AVAILABILITY & REDUNDANCY
Califon Systems Amigo customers can opt to have two identical AmigoBoxes onsite. There are two reasons a company might choose to do this, each one comprising of different set-up and configuration methods.

1-High Availability. This option provides customers with immediate access to a second, identically configured AmigoBox in case of mechanical or other failure of the box, disabling the customer from Internet access and causing a one-day delay of service. This option is for those who cannot afford a one-day delay of service. This option is for those who cannot afford a one-day interruption of secured Internet access. Customers who do not choose to have a second AmigoBox on hand and experience a failure of service on the AmigoBox will be shipped a replacement overnight at no expense to the customer.

2-Redundancy. This option includes the use of two AmigoBoxes working side by side. The Amigo redundancy solution means all data supported by Califon Systems Amigo services is backed up simultaneously on both machines. In addition, both machines share the load of traffic such as email and Internet access, but always act as a "single unit". If one AmigoBox fails for any reason, there is no Interruption of service since the other AmigoBox continues to function without any delay in service. A new AmigoBox will then be shipped out overnight to ensure redundancy is available within 24-48 hours.

ADDITIONAL ACCOUNT SET-UP
Whether you need additional email accounts, virtual private network accounts, or remote control accounts set-up, Califon Systems Amigo department is ready to help.

MULTIPLE LOCATION CONFIGURATIONS
To ensure your company's data is totally secure, Califon Systems Amigo can offer various configuration and set-up options to support your remote sales or franchise offices, remote employees, and more. As your company's needs change, Califon Systems Amigo department can offer you services and support to help you keep your company secure.

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