NCSA runs a certification program that tests firewall products against a standardized suite of attacks while still letting authorized users accomplish significant business functions. NCSA certification provides an objective, practical way for you to evaluate the level of security a firewall provides.

At press time, four of the Windows NT firewall vendors--CheckPoint Software Technologies, Raptor Systems, Network-1, and Digital Equipment--had NCSA Certified firewall products (they'd passed the NCSA Version 1.0 tests). However, according to Jeff Lolly of NCSA, only Digital's and Raptor's NT firewall product had been tested separately from the non-NT versions. Digital claims on its Web site to be "the world's first and only NCSA Certified NT Firewall." In fact, Digital appears to be one of two such vendors. NCSA posts information about firewall-testing procedures and a current list of certified products on its Web site at www.ncsa.com.