Free tools can add security protection

Cybercriminals are constantly on the prowl, using any pretense or means to distribute malware and infect computer systems. Company systems are prime targets, and even with all of the controls and security, problems continuously arise as do the costs of trying to keep up.

One approach to save some money and add extra layers of protection may be to turn to open-source tools. One possibility is the Squid Web caching proxy, which has layered access control, content filtering and security intelligence.

The Squid Web caching proxy, according to DarkReading.com, is the most widely-used free, open-source web proxy available, and can perform content caching, access control, authorization and logging.

It has security features like antivirus scanning, and controls that provide a web filter to block malicious websites and files ending in .exe, .com, .bat and .msi. Adding other proven antivirus software for catching malware can make Squid a more powerful tool.

"When all of those layers of protection are combined, a Squid-based Web proxy is a powerful solution for preventing bots and scareware from getting into your network through web-based channels," DarkReading.com reports. "It's important to remember that the security intelligence feeding those blacklists changes often, so security teams need to stay on top of it and automate the update mechanisms."

For more on free tools for security:
- see this DarkReading.com article

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