NCSA runs a certification program that tests firewall products
against a standardized suite of attacks while still letting authorized users
accomplish significant business functions. NCSA certification provides an
objective, practical way for you to evaluate the level of security a firewall
provides.
At press time, four of the Windows NT firewall vendors--CheckPoint Software
Technologies, Raptor Systems, Network-1, and Digital Equipment--had NCSA
Certified firewall products (they'd passed the NCSA Version 1.0 tests). However,
according to Jeff Lolly of NCSA, only Digital's and Raptor's NT firewall product
had been tested separately from the non-NT versions. Digital claims on its Web
site to be "the world's first and only NCSA Certified NT Firewall." In
fact, Digital appears to be one of two such vendors. NCSA posts information
about firewall-testing procedures and a current list of certified products on
its Web site at www.ncsa.com.