Justice inks security license for 100,000 users

Senforce Technologies Inc. has signed a four-year, departmentwide license with the Justice Department for its Enterprise Mobile Security Manager software.

The Santa Clara, Calif., company earlier this year supplied EMSM 2.5 to about 15,000 users in Justice's Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys. The new order adds 100,000 users.

The Air Force Air Mobility Command also has bought EMSM for air crews that connect wirelessly on the move. "We just started deploying it for about 1,200 users all over the world," said Robert Lyons, the project manager.

To keep wireless eavesdroppers out of military networks, EMSM disables the air crews' wireless access while they are connected to wired networks.

The policy-based client security software, which lists for $89 per seat, incorporates a firewall and enforces rules for different work locations. It ensures that users update their anti-virus signatures from other vendors, reporting on compliance under the Federal Information Security Management Act.

EMSM runs on Microsoft Windows NT, 2000 and XP clients. Its encryption capability has Federal Information Processing Standard 140-2 certification.

Senforce vice president Tanya Candia said the company also has applied for Common Criteria Evaluation Assurance Level 4 certification.

"Policy enforcement cannot rely on the end user," she said. "Users often connect to the wrong wireless network signal because it's stronger," a security lapse that EMSM prevents. Whenever a user connects, the software checks that user's policy server and automatically shuts vulnerable ports, she said. "And it keeps checking back."