GRC | ShieldsUP!! — What's New

Port Authority Edition – Internet Vulnerability Profiling
by Steve Gibson, Gibson Research Corporation.

Original ShieldsUP!!:

Since the introduction of the original ShieldsUP! service nearly four years ago, in November of 1999, the level of awareness and appreciation for the need for proactive Internet security has risen dramatically. During that time, the original ShieldsUP! system performed more than 20,000,000 security tests for Internet-connected end-users.

While the sophistication of "Net savvy" users has grown tremendously, so have the very real threats to online security and privacy. The Internet is much less safe than it was when ShieldsUP! was first conceived.

To address the many growing threats to Internet security and privacy, and to meet the needs of today's much more Internet aware user, we have introduced a major upgrade to the original ShieldsUP! system.

As uniquely powerful and capable as the new system is, it retains the traditional real-time performance and ease of use which helped to make the original system so popular.

Port Authority Edition:

The Port Authority Edition continues to provide enhanced versions of both original services: "Test My Shields" and "Probe My Ports". It also goes far beyond, offering a rich testing and educational environment to support thorough, detailed, and custom tests for network security and configuration.

NEW – Port Authority Features & Benefits

	The Industry's Most Reliable Client IP Determination We often hear that ShieldsUP! correctly determines a user's public IP address when other online security testing systems do not. Needless to say, testing the wrong IP address is a bad idea. The Port Authority Edition of ShieldsUP! improves upon its industry-leading IP determination by automatically detecting the few instances where mistakes would be made and advising the user that they must use our free "IP_Agent" utility to circumvent ISP "proxy" servers.
	High Reliability, High Speed, 1056-Port Scan The most requested addition to ShieldsUP! has been the testing of additional ports. The steadily decreasing security of the industry's most prevalent operating system (Microsoft Windows) warrants more comprehensive testing. Therefore, ShieldsUP! now tests ALL of the target system's 1024 service ports, plus the first 32 client ports where Windows often hosts additional services. The 1056-port, web-based graphic display immediately highlights any trouble ports and its one-click integration with our new online ports database allows users to immediately determine the security implications of the Internet port in question.
	Expanded probing of Common Ports Critical Microsoft Windows security vulnerabilities are discovered almost daily. It is Microsoft's unfortunate policy to silently operate public Internet servers in end-user machines. The tremendous trouble the Internet experiences with viruses, worms, and malicious hackers is a direct consequence of this policy of insecurity. The presence of Windows services such as UPnP, DCOM, LDAP, H.323, ICF proxies, and others has turned Windows into an Internet vulnerability mine field. Our "Common Ports" test quickly checks the status of all known trouble ports.
	Custom Port Probe Advanced users have advanced needs. Our new custom port probe accepts the specification of up to 64 ports at one time, individually and in ranges, to provide for any additional needs not covered by the 1056-port and common ports probes.
	ICMP Echo (Ping), Port "Zero", and "Null Packet" Tests The new ShieldsUP! tests benignly poke at end-user target machines using a collection of various probing tricks. Since malicious Internet hackers might do the same non-benignly, you need to know if these probes slip underneath your personal firewall or NAT router defenses.
	Integrated "TruStealth" detection and reporting Some personal Internet security products foolishly attempt to traceback, probe, or query the source of incoming Internet probes. This immediately discloses and confirms its presence of the target machine to all passing probes and renders the machine visible on the Internet. Since the industry's experience is that being fully "Stealthed" provides the best security possible, the new "TruStealth" system confirms whether or not this goal has been achieved.
	Concise Plain Text Results Summaries Web pages are great to look at, but awkward to save, share, and compare. The system's new Text Summary compiles a short and concise summary of any test results. It may be easily marked, copied, and pasted to create custom text reports.
	Extensive "Ports" Knowledgebase The Internet contains many "port lists". Some also enumerate the Trojan programs that have been seen occupying specific ports. But no others also provide useful and often extensive coverage of the port's history, purpose, and security or privacy concerns. Our new online ports database works to educate and inform Internet users so that they can take appropriate measures and precautions. (Port 113 is a good example of what's available for many ports.)
	1056-Port Scan Application Guide A comprehensive ports scan can be used for a number of additional purposes beyond simply a target machine's current security. For example, it is possible to determine which Internet service ports are being blocked by a conscientious ISP. A NAT router's WAN-side security can be checked. And the level of sophistication of a personal firewall's handling of the tricky "IDENT" (port 113) can be tested, exercised, and demonstrated. Our 1056-port scan page provides an application guide for performing these additional experiments and tests.
	Seamless Probe/Scan Knowledgebase Linking The addition of our online ports database created an opportunity for its integration with the online tests. It is now possible to probe any port from any corresponding page of the database, and to jump directly to any database page from any port item appearing in the online tests.
	Windows "Messenger Spam" Simulator Another Windows Internet service is being actively exploited on the Internet. This time the purpose is to pop-up unwanted, commercial "Messenger Service" announcements on the user's screen. We created the free "Shoot The Messenger" utility to provide users with immediate control over their system's troubling Messenger service. Then, to allow users to safely verify that these pop-up messages are being blocked or ignored, our Messenger Spam simulator can be used to send a set of simulated Messenger Spam packets to the user's computer.
	Web Browser Header Display Web browsers send remote servers a set of "Request Headers" for every item requested. Since these headers are never seen, most Internet users are unaware of their existence. Our header display facility allows users to "check their headers" to see what's being sent with every standard (non-SSL) and secure (SSL) web request. Since some personal privacy filters deliberately alter this header information, this service can be used to tune, tweak, and verify the operation of any such filters. The service also allows a web browser "session cookie" to be set to demonstrate and test the operation of any personal cookie filters, eliminators, etc.
	Reverse DNS Display for Privacy Awareness Some Internet service providers provide static, account-based reverse Domain Name Service (DNS) for their customer IP addresses. This allows for the creation of an undeletable and non-obscurable "cookie" which can be used to persistently tag and identify such users even across changes to their IP addresses. The primary ShieldsUP! entry page now quickly checks and advises users of their reverse DNS status.
	Centralized Service Selector With the number of online services greatly expanded, we needed a single "central control palette" for controlling and accessing the various services. It has been designed with future expandability in mind.
	"Direct Access" Probe and Port URLs Our new on-the-fly proxy detection system has proven to be so effective that we're able to provide "direct access" URLs for single port probes and ports database access. The new ShieldsUP! Port Authority Edition home page provides all of the details.
	As Always, 100% Pure HTML with NO Scripting All of these services are provided while keeping this site true to its original, 100% "no scripting or cookies" policy. Unlike other security testing sites that require your security to be compromised through a download of active content or enabling web browser scripting, ShieldsUP! offers superior features and reliability while allowing the target system to remain unaltered and fully secure.

It is my sincere hope you will find these Port Authority Edition enhancements to ShieldsUP! to be of use and value in helping to demystify your network's online operation and aid in securing your own little corner of the Internet.

Gibson Research Corporation is owned and operated by Steve Gibson. The contents
of this page are Copyright (c) 2010 Gibson Research Corporation. SpinRite, ShieldsUP,
NanoProbe, and any other indicated trademarks are registered trademarks of Gibson
Research Corporation, Laguna Hills, CA, USA. GRC's web and customer privacy policy.

Last Edit: Oct 06, 2003 at 13:29 (2,348.89 days ago)

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