Microsoft Internet Security and
Acceleration Server 2004 SDK
Firewall and
Security Overview
ISA Server can be deployed as a dedicated firewall that acts as the
secure gateway to
the Internet for internal clients. ISA Server protects all
communication between internal computers and the Internet. In a
simple firewall scenario, the ISA Server computer has two network
interface cards, one connected to the local network and one
connected to the Internet.
You can use ISA Server to configure the firewall, configuring
policies and creating rules to implement your business guidelines.
By setting the security access policies, you prevent unauthorized
access and malicious content from entering the network. You can
also restrict what traffic is allowed for each user and group, application,
destination, content type, and schedule.
ISA Server includes the following firewall and security
features:
Outgoing access policy. You can use ISA Server to
configure access rules that control how your internal clients
access the Internet. Access rules specify which sites and content
can be accessed, and which protocols can be used for access.
Intrusion detection. Integrated intrusion detection
mechanisms can alert you when a specific attack is launched against
your network. For example, you can configure the ISA Server to
alert you if a port scanning attempt is detected. For more
information, see Intrusions and
Alerts.
Application filters. ISA Server controls
application-specific traffic with data-aware filters. ISA Server
uses the filters to determine if packets should be accepted,
rejected, redirected, or modified. For more information, see
Application Filters.
Authentication. ISA Server supports the following user
authentication methods: Integrated Windows authentication, client
certificates, digest, and basic. ISA Server also supports
third-party authentication schemes, registered with Web filters.
For more information, see About Authentication in
ISA Server.