forefrontserversecuritybusinessvaluewhitepaper.docx

1、forefrontserversecuritybusinessvaluewhitepaperShields Up! Getting Better Protection with Microsoft Forefront Security for Exchange Server and Microsoft Forefront Security for SharePointPaul Robichaux3Sharp LLCPublished: October 2006AbstractMicrosoft has expanded its security strategy by adding produ

2、cts and technologies that address the most pressing needs of IT management and administration. The Microsoft Forefront line of security products includes anti-virus and content filtering tools for Microsoft Exchange Server and SharePoint products and technologies. Through tight integration with Exch

3、ange and SharePoint, Microsoft Forefront Security for Exchange Server and Microsoft Forefront Security for SharePoint offer a number of valuable benefits, including improved manageability, performance, and security. This paper describes these benefits at a high level. The information contained in th

4、is document represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation on the issues discussed as of the date of publication. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy

5、of any information presented after the date of publication.This White Paper is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT.Complying with all applicable copyright laws is the responsibility of the user. Without

6、 limiting the rights under copyright, no part of this document may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), or for any purpose, without the express written permission of

7、 Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft may have patents, patent applications, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights covering subject matter in this document. Except as expressly provided in any written license agreement from Microsoft, the furnishing of this document does not give

8、 you any license to these patents, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property. 2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.Microsoft, Forefront, Antigen, Excel, SharePoint, Windows, Windows Server System, and the Windows Server System logo are either registered trademarks or trademar

9、ks of Microsoft Corporation or Sybari Software, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Sybari Software, Inc. is a subsidiary of Microsoft Corporation.All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.ContentsCommunications, Collaboration, and Security 1Defending Your Communicat

10、ions and Collaboration Infrastructure 3The Threat Landscape 3Specific Threats against Exchange and Outlook 3Threats Specific to SharePoint 4Meeting the Threat: How Forefront Server Security Helps 4Better Protection 5Improved Performance and Availability 5Layered Defenses 6Consistent Application of S

11、ecurity Policies 6Conclusion 8Related Links 9Communications, Collaboration, and Security Companies of all sizes are moving away from a focus on individual products or point solutions that deliver specific services like e-mail, instant messaging, or document management. Instead, driven by competitive

12、 pressures that place a high premium on effective, timely communication and collaboration, theyre choosing solutions based on how well different collaboration and communications products and protocols work together. Microsoft has been investing heavily in its collaboration and communications solutio

13、n line, which contains three major components that are interesting from a security standpoint. Exchange Server is Microsofts messaging and calendaring platform. Exchange is both the most mature and the most widely deployed of Microsofts collaboration and communication products. It acts as the key re

14、pository for voice mail, e-mail, and fax messages, calendar and free/busy data, and contact information, and it makes that data accessible through desktop, Web-based, and mobile clients.SharePoint products and technologies include Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, Windows SharePoint Services,

15、 and SharePoint Portal Server 2003. Microsoft intends SharePoint to be a central document and information repository, combining rich metadata, searching of both SharePoint repositories and other data sources (including Lotus Domino databases, Web content, and file shares), workflow, and electronic c

16、ontent management. Live Communications Server complements SharePoint and Exchange by offering real-time communications, including text, voice, and video instant messaging, application and desktop sharing, web conferencing, and extended presence information. These capabilities are available from the

17、desktop via the Windows Messenger and Office Communicator clients, the Communicator Web Access Web-based client, Communicator Mobile for Windows Mobile, and APIs that allow presence and IM capability to be built into SharePoint team sites and document libraries, as well as applications in the Office

18、 family.Microsofts strategy in this space is to build a complete set of unified collaboration and communications solutions that provide easy access to a wide range of work modesinstant messaging, e-mail, calendaring, team workspaces, document librariesall using a familiar set of tools that let peopl

19、e work without disruption from the desktop or on the go. These solutions are based on, and take advantage of, infrastructure services like Active Directory and Windows Rights Management Services. For these services and capabilities to be truly useful in business, they must be properly secured. Each

20、of these product families includes a wide range of security features, including encryption, authentication, and auditing. However, building an effective communications and collaboration system depends on protection of the system itself and the data it contains. Over the last two years, Microsoft has

21、 steadily been adding data-centric security functionality, beefing up the message security capabilities of Exchange 2007, adding built-in support for Windows Rights Management Services into Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, and purchasing several security companies whose products fill gaps in

22、 Microsofts own offerings. Microsofts overall security strategy is to provide end-to-end security for business customers, beginning with the operating system and extending through network access to applications and services hosted on Windows servers. This end-to-end protection metaphor is a broad vi

23、sion that will take some time to execute; the recently launched Forefront product line is a major part of Microsofts commitment to realizing this vision by providing solid security and management services for its collaboration and communications services. Forefront Security for Exchange Server, Fore

24、front Security for SharePoint, and Microsoft Forefront Security for Office Communications Server help provide advanced protection for the valuable data transmitted and stored in mailboxes, document libraries, and team sites. These products integrate with existing Microsoft management tools, so theyr

25、e easy to learn, use, and deploy. These Forefront products are new iterations of the proven and mature Sybari Antigen products that Microsoft acquired in 2005.Defending Your Communications and Collaboration InfrastructureThe first step in mounting an effective defense of your collaboration and commu

26、nications infrastructure is to use the security tools that the platform provides. For example, Windows Server supports authentication, authorization, confidentiality protection, and security update management mechanisms that allow you to effectively secure the underlying network, workstations, and s

27、ervers. Active Directory adds a robust authentication mechanism that allows you to effectively segregate critical systems and apply different levels of security policy to them; Exchange and SharePoint both include additional security mechanisms that, when properly used, help maintain security at the

28、 server level. These measures are necessary prerequisites that help protect the organizations data, but many organizations want a higher degree of protection that safeguards their critical resource by protecting against a wider variety of threats.The Threat LandscapeThe security landscape is continu

29、ally changing; attackers are always seeking new vulnerabilities in software systems and networks. Many common threats of the past, like denial-of-service attacks based on fragmented TCP packets, have largely been mitigated. The emergence and deployment of security capabilities like network access pr

30、otection and smartcard authentication have helped to deliver more secure network access, and Microsofts sustained efforts to deliver “trustworthy computing” are bearing fruit by reducing the number and severity of vulnerabilities in their products.However, attackers havent been sitting still. Attack

31、s based on malwareloosely defined as viruses, worms, Trojans, and spywareare continuing to grow in both frequency and severity. Malware has become easier to catch but harder to get rid of; a growing number of rootkits, once installed, can effectively disguise themselves from most major anti-malware

32、tools The attackers themselves have changed; in the past, it was common to see viruses or worms developed by interested amateurs, but todays attacks are often conducted by professionals who either target individual organizations or compromise groups of computers and sell access to them. There are other motivations, too; an increasing number of attacks are being undertaken for information gathering, industrial or political espionage, or ideological motivations.Specific Threats against Exchange and OutlookMicrosoft has steadily improved the security of Exchange Server and its premie