All postsSupporting open standards testing for firewalls and other network security devices
SE Labs has joined forces with testing standards organisation NetSecOPEN, aiming to improve the network appliance testing market. The result will be more accurate reports containing genuinely useful data.
SE Labs joins NetSecOPEN
SE Labs has always supported transparent, repeatable, standards-based testing of security products. By being the first mainstream security testing organisation to join NetSecOPEN, we are demonstrating our commitment to that purpose across all of our testing.
SE Labs was the first security tester to comply with the AMTSO testing Standard.
In November 2020, following over a year of preparation, we announced our plans to test network security appliances. We now assess next-generation firewalls and intrusion detection systems, in addition to many other types of equipment.
This year we plan to publish performance and security reports. These will contain results on products from the largest, most popular network appliance vendors, so your buying decisions will become easier.
We contribute to the important work of NetSecOPEN and so create a fairer, more level playing field for security testing. Above all, the ultimate goal is to provide useful data for those buying expensive network security devices. We support all of those goals wholeheartedly.
Very few companies test network security products for performance or security effectiveness. SE Labs has been conducting such testing privately for years and we are looking forward to sharing more of our research publicly this year.
Why not be open?
Using transparent ways of testing (methodologies) is good for everyone because product vendors know we are not making up the results. And because if we find problems they have enough information to fix them.
Consequently buyers can make informed decisions, gaining confidence that test results are accurate and useful in the real world. Finally, testers that want to participate in this area (or who work privately for buyers) can learn how to avoid the pitfalls that can so easily ambush a project’s credibility.
NetSecOPEN Executive Director Brian Monkman said, “We are excited to welcome SE Labs into our membership.
NetSecOPEN membership is open to everyone who has a vested interested in open, transparent and reproducible network security performance testing. Our goal is to ensure enterprises have full access, without charge, to test reports and have the ability to reproduce the results.
This goal is supported by all NetSecOPEN members, be they a test lab, security product vendor or test tool vendor. At the end of the day, providing enterprises the ability to make apples to apples comparisons of test results enhances the credibility of the test that provides results that are meaningful to everyone.”
SE Labs encourages all security testers that want to run the most useful network appliance testing to engage with NetSecOPEN. Maybe it will be encouraging to them to hear, “SE Labs joins NetSecOPEN”? But for now, we’re glad to be the first 🙂
