Description:
Portsmith is an application-based maximum security firewall that is designed to interact with authorized users, and offers an easy-to-use browser driven-interface, making everyday use a breeze. Portsmith has many unique features that are found only in this product. Among them, the two most important would be the core logic and the interface.
Logic:
The concept is that all TCP and UDP ports are kept in a closed position until an authorized user logs into the Portsmith interface and triggers them open. When opened, the ports are only accessible from the authorized user’s current IP Address - As far as the rest of the world is concerned, that port is sealed shut. In addition, the authorized user only has access to what is allowed by their individual policy. Another fundamental difference is that, with most routers, one port can only be forwarded to one destination inside the network, and that forwarded port is visible by everyone on the Internet. Portsmith on the other hand, can forward a single port to numerous destinations inside your network and is only visible by internet users who have been successfully authenticated.
Interface:
Unlike traditional firewalls and VPN routers, this product was designed to not only be used by the Administrator, but by the end user as well. Due to the simple fact that most people know very little about firewalls and internet security, Digital Deadbolt has created an intuitive easy-to-use interface designed to make using the firewall a no-brainer. The purpose of the interface is for authentication, acquiring the IP address of the incoming user, and administration of the firewall.
Benefits:
One of the many benefits of using this product is that you can be anywhere in the world, and as long as you have internet access, you can easily and securely gain access to any resource that your policy allows, without the need of any special VPN software installed on the computer that you are using. In short, you could take control of your computer at work from home, a friend’s house, a Wi-Fi hot spot, or any other location with internet access. Since there is no software requirement, after you leave the location, there will be no trace that you were ever there and nothing was installed on the computer you were using. For people on the move, Portsmith works really well with “Broadband Internet PC Cards” offered by Verizon, Sprint, and Cingular, thus making it even easier to gain entry no matter where you are.
Additions:
Portsmith is like “Play-Doh” for security because it can do so many things. In addition to acting as a perimeter firewall, it can also function as a DNS & DHCP server, a mail server, a VPN concentrator, a proxy server, and it can even host your website. In addition, Portsmith can also communicate with a number of databases such as MySQL, Postgres, Microsoft SQL Server, and IBM’s DB2. This is beneficial for customers who need a middleware that can communicate with existing SQL-driven software package in order to integrate reporting capabilities into the organization’s website.
Cost:
Portsmith was developed and intended to be used in the spirit of the “free for all” Open Source GNU Licensing model widely used among the Linux community.
Summary:
* Easy to use browser driven graphical interface for users and Administrators
* When ports are opened or forwarded, they are only accessible from the user’s IP Address
* Create IP rules and assigns to individual users as needed for superior access control
* A single port can point to numerous destinations inside the network, controlled by user rules
* Incoming packets on one port can be forwarded to a host listening on a different port address
* Place Portsmith in front of your existing VPN router to secure the TCP & UDP ports being used
* Replace your existing VPN router for greater security and flexibility using Portsmith + OpenVPN
Downloads:
Portsmith Version 4 can be downloaded by clicking here.
Portsmith 4 was designed to run on Ubuntu Server 8.04 LTS which can be downloaded by clicking on this link.
