The RouteFinder Internet security appliances are integrated VPN gateways/firewalls designed to maximize network security without compromising network performance. They use data encryption, user authentication and the Internet to securely connect telecommuters, remote offices, customers or suppliers to the corporate office while avoiding the cost of private leased lines or dial-up charges. The browser-based interface eases configuration and management. The VPN functionality is based on IPSec and PPTP protocols and uses Triple DES 168-bit encryption to ensure that your information remains private. The RouteFinder firewall security utilizes Stateful Packet Inspection, and provides content filtering, as well as optional e-mail anti-virus protection. The RouteFinder combines Virtual Private Networking (VPN), firewall, e-mail anti-virus protection and content filtering in one box. It is a cost-effective, easy to manage solution that is ideal for the small to medium business. The client-to-LAN VPN application replaces traditional dial-in remote access by allowing a remote user to connect to the corporate LAN through a secure tunnel over the Internet. The advantage is that a remote user can make a local call to an Internet Service Provider, without sacrificing the company's security, as opposed to a long distance call to the corporate remote access server. The LAN-to-LAN VPN application sends network traffic over the branch office Internet connection instead of relying on dedicated leased line connections. This can save thousands of dollars in line costs and reduce overall hardware and management expenses. As businesses move toward always-on broadband Internet connections, the network becomes more vulnerable to Internet hackers. The RouteFinder provides a full-featured Stateful Packet Inspection firewall to provide security from intruders attempting to access the office LAN. The RouteFinder plugs in at the Internet connection of each office and provides three independent network interfaces (LAN, WAN and DMZ) that separate the protected office network from the Internet while providing an optional public network for hosting Web, e-mail or ftp servers. Each network interface is independently monitored and visually displayed on the front of the RouteFinder. The RouteFinder uses IPSec and PPTP industry standard protocols, data encryption, user authentication, and the Internet to provide high-performance, secure VPN connections. For LAN-to-LAN connectivity, the RouteFinder utilizes the IPSec protocol with strong 168-bit 3DES encryption using IKE and PSK key management. In addition, it provides very high performance with 15Mbps of 3DES encryption throughput (3Mbps with the RF600VPN). For client-to-LAN connectivity, Multi-Tech provides optional IPSec client software. The RouteFinder also supports remote users that want to use the PPTP VPN client built into the Windows operating system. This provides 40-bit or 128-bit encryption, user name and password authentication. The RouteFinder provides network layer security utilizing Stateful Packet Inspection, the sophisticated firewall technology found in large enterprise firewalls, to protect the network against intruders and Denial of Service (Dos) attacks. It also uses Network Address Translation (NAT) to hide internal, non-routable IP addresses and allows internal hosts with unregistered IP addresses to function as Internet-reachable servers. In addition to network layer security, it provides application level security using SMTP, HTTP, DNS and SOCKS proxies. The RouteFinder also utilizes filters to block specific Internet content to protect against viruses, dangerous ActiveX controls, Java, Javascript, and Cookies. An automatic update feature provides the highest level of security by automatically downloading and installing the latest system software and security patches protecting against any newly discovered hacker attacks with a single click. Computer viruses are one of the leading security threats to Internet-connected networks. Users can unknowingly download and launch dangerous viruses that can damage data or cause computer crashes. Viruses can also be used as delivery mechanisms for hacking tools, compromising the security of the network, even if a firewall is installed. An optional e-mail virus protection subscription utilizes a high-performance, ICSA-tested, anti-virus engine which checks both incoming and outgoing e-mail for viruses in real-time. Automatic anti-virus updates are downloaded at user-defined intervals to ensure protection is current. The e-mail anti-virus protection can be easily renewed on an annual basis. To increase the level of security, user identity can be verified before access to Internet services is permitted. The RouteFinder supports authentication at a local user database as well as at external user databases, like Windows 2000 or RADIUS server. To enhance performance, the RouteFinder also provides web caching. By storing frequently visited web sites on a local drive, web surfing performance can be improved by as much as 50%. The RouteFinder includes robust management support allowing a network administrator to securely manage the devices either through a web browser or at the command line. The browser-based option uses the HTTP or HTTPS protocol, also known as SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) to provide 128-bit encryption to secure the management session. The command line interface is accessible via SSH (Secure Shell) and supports SCP (Secure Copy). The RouteFinder also includes a suite of integrated monitoring and reporting tools that help administrators troubleshoot the Internet security system and report to management the usage of the Internet. This includes reporting on system uptime, hardware and network utilization. HTTP and SMTP proxy reports provide information about any actions needed to handle virus-infected e-mails. The RouteFinder also disables and logs attempted port scans. In addition, it provides accounting reports and a self-monitor that sends an e-mail notification of system-level issues. The RouteFinder provides a serial port that, when connected to a dial-up modem or ISDN terminal adaptor, can serve as a backup resource for Internet access and VPN tunneling if your cable or DSL service goes down.