Symark Announces PowerBroker 4.0
AGOURA HILLS, Calif. - November 7, 2005 - Symark, developer of
leading UNIX/Linux security and administration solutions, today
announced PowerBroker 4.0, which introduces the ability to
deploy command shells that provide powerful extended control and
logging. In addition, a GUI report writer has been added, which
greatly facilitates event log reporting. PowerBroker provides
UNIX and Linux systems security and accountability by enabling
system administrators to manage requests and delegate
administrative task privileges and authorization without
disclosing the "superuser" or root password. It also enables
system administrators to grant selective access to UNIX and
Linux-based corporate resources. PowerBroker protects the root
account--the most targeted user account--from hackers who could
remove critical system files, gain access to confidential data,
and delete audit trails. Administrative tasks such as system
programs mounting, performing backups, and adding new users can
be delegated to individuals or groups at a granular level, thus
reducing the risk of accidental damage and the threat of
malicious activities thus dramatically increasing enterprise
security. "Organizations are looking to implement access
management solutions to meet regulatory compliance, improve
operational efficiency, and contain costs," said Doug Yarrow,
Symark's president and co-CEO. "PowerBroker offers organizations
a cost-effective, non-intrusive, and secure tool for managing
root privileges and meeting regulatory requirements. The
enhanced shell, GUI report writer, logging, and security
capabilities of version 4.0 make PowerBroker a valuable
component of a robust and secure UNIX/Linux privilege management
infrastructure." PowerBroker can control accounts with any
elevated privilege, such as ORACLE and SAP. PowerBroker also
provides a detailed audit trail of all tasks down to the
keystroke that helps organizations pass UNIX and Linux audits
and ensure regulatory compliance. PowerBroker 4.0 is shipping
now and will be demoed at the CSI 32nd Annual Computer Security
Conference and Exhibition in Washington DC November 13-15, 2005.
PowerBroker Version 4.0 PowerBroker 4.0 provides two variations
of the standard Korn and Bourne shells. The Korn shell provides
a convenient user interface for interactive sessions, while the
Bourne shell provides a fast interface for scripts without the
overhead of the interactive user interface. The shells provide
PowerBroker security for shell scripts, log all shell activity,
control shell built-in commands and I/O redirection, provide
sub-shell control and the ability to authorize commands by a
PowerBroker MasterDaemon, and enable commands to be run either
locally or through a PowerBroker Local Daemon. To further
facilitate compliance, PowerBroker 4.0 offers several logging
improvements. A new retry limit allows the script writer to stop
waiting for a server that is no longer in service. Failover
prioritizes log servers based on the number of failures during
the secured task, while event logs in CSV and XML format
facilitate data exchange with other programs. With support for
I/O logging for local mode, PowerBroker 4.0 obviates the need
for a log server while eliminating log server reconnections for
improved performance and less network overhead. PowerBroker 4.0
introduces a powerful report writer that provides an easy way to
report on the PowerBroker Event Logs, which eases the generation
of compliance and audit reports. The report writer incorporates
a web-based GUI with a wizard style workflow to make event log
reporting simple and straightforward. Additional enhancements in
PowerBroker 4.0 include a new PAM client interface, which allows
PowerBroker to easily work with local accounts, NIS/NIS+
accounts, LDAP accounts, and any current or future accounts
supported in PAM. Security improvements guard against host
spoofing, provide greater control over remote jobs, and make it
easier to identify the host from which a job originated. New
resource limits in PowerBroker 4.0 control how much of a
computer's resources a job can use, while improved environmental
diagnostics make it easier for administrators to diagnose their
setup. Connectivity enhancements not only allow PowerBroker to
be run on a specific interface for greater control and to
further limit spoofing and errors but they also enable programs
to be run without a network. In addition, with version 4.0,
PowerBroker now supports Ipv6 and Unix Local Domain Sockets.
About Symark Founded in 1985, Symark is the leading provider of
UNIX and Linux security solutions for Global 2000 businesses.
Symark PowerBroker