With working from home more of a norm, it’s much easier for hackers to target less-than-robust home networks without the requisite security protocols. ViewQwest is offering a convenient way for you to access enterprise-class, network-level security, 24/7 for relatively cheap.
SecureNet is a partnership programme between ViewQwest and leading global cybersecurity leader Palo Alto Networks and is the first such service of its kind in South East Asia.
The subscription service requires no extra equipment or software on top of the basic home broadband setup, though you have to be a ViewQwest subscriber. It’s designed to be simple enough for everyone in the household to use and protects all devices in your network, including smart home appliances – without having to lift a finger.
The service routes network traffic through Palo Alto Networks’ Next-Generation Firewall, which uses a host of measures, such as network-based attack protection, web filtering, machine learning and Wildfire (they open suspect files in a controlled environment to study its effects before taking action), to remove threats. ViewQwest adds that there’s little to no compromise in performance.
Every week, users will receive two reports – the Threat Log Report will reveal the threats that are actively blocked by SecureNet while the Top Blocked Websites Report will reveal phishing sites and other suspect websites with malicious traffic. The reports will not reveal the affected devices, however.
ViewQwest has made it such that you can choose between three levels of protection or turn off the service. This makes it easy for users who aren’t savvy – all they need to do is to reduce the level of protection (or until it works) if they need access to a verified site or a service that has been incorrectly flagged. Users can also request for the site to be whitelisted as well.
You can can easily switch between three levels of security protection. Image: ViewQwest
Additionally, the Essential, Enhanced and Max levels block different types of URLs that contain malicious content or traffic:
- Essential level URL filtering blocks sites that contain malware, command and control, and phishing
- Enhanced level URL filtering, which on top of blocking sites from the Basic level, also blocks sites with adult content, drug abuse, copyright infringement, extremism, gambling, greyware, newly registered domains, parked, questionable content, and weapons
- Max level URL filtering, which on top of blocking sites from the Basic and Advanced levels, also blocks sites with proxy avoidance and anonymisers as well as unknown websites
A more detailed look at the levels of filtering and protection. Image: ViewQwest
For a limited period, broadband plans with SecureNet start from $29.90 per month for home users (500mbps) and $96 for SME customers. SecureNet is free for the first three months, after which it is available for an additional $5.99 per month ($16 for SME). If you are an existing ViewQwest customer, you can subscribe to SecureNet for an additional $5.99 per month as a home user, and an additional $16 per month for SME customers.
