How to send SMS from Check Point Connectra
Check
Point Connectra makes two factor authentication
possible with one time passwords sent to mobile phones as SMS messages.
This feature greatly improves security in your corporate IT environment. If
you want to setup two factor authentication with Check Point Connectra, you
need to find a way to send your SMS messages to the mobile network. To achieve
this you can use Ozeki NG SMS Gateway. Ozeki NG SMS Gateway is a software
product, that can be installed on your computer. It can operate a GSM modem
attached to your computer or it can connect to IP SMS service providers over
the Internet to transmit your SMS messages. If you setup Ozeki NG SMS Gateway
sending one-time password via SMS will be very easy. In this article you can
read information on how this solution works in practice and what are the major
benefits.
For step by step instructions on how to setup this solution,
please visit the following webpage:
Installation
guide on how to add SMS functionality to Check Point Connectra
( Video tutorial included).
Fields of applications
Security is an essential issue in corporations especially today
when there are so many data stealing and system cracks. Check Point Connectra
can relieve some of these difficulties and make your system more secure. But
there are still problems with accessibility and with the use of passwords.
Passwords are inevitable parts of a secure IT system but there are such
inconvenient cases when employees loose their passwords, forget them, write them
down or send them in e-mail. If passwords are not changed frequently they can
become a serious security hole in your system. On the other hand if you change
them too often, they are hard to remember especially if you want to use long,
safe passwords.
The solution for such a demanding field is if you add SMS functionality to your
corporate
IT system with a powerful SMS gateway. With this
gateway software you can introduce one time passwords, that are sent to the
mobile phones of the users who wish to logon. This simple but effective
method makes two-factor authentication possible.
Two factor authentication means, that a user types in his password, then he
receives an SMS text message to his mobile phone with a one-time security code
and he needs to enter it to complete the authentication.
The users can login to the system only with the
use of this one-time password. This solution makes your corporate IT environment
more secure, because the lifetime of these one-time passwords are quite short
and after they are used they expire automatically.
Benefits
If you decide to add SMS extension to your IT system you will
notice the immediate benefits of two factor authentication. As you and your
employees get your passwords in each case when you log into the corporate
system via SMS, you can be sure that no unauthorized person will get access to
your system. If you setup this solution you will get a reliable, stable and
well-working IT system which cannot be compromised.
Prerequisites
In order to setup this solution you need to find a way
to connect your system to the mobile network. You can do this
by using an Internet connection or you can
setup a wireless connection by attaching a GSM phone/GSM modem to your computer. To help you make a
decision, we have prepared a webpage for you:
Internet based SMS connections vs. GSM modem based (wireless) SMS connections.
Depending
on what you select, you need the following prerequisites.
Prerequisites for Internet based connection to the Mobile network
If you wish to connect your system to an SMS service
provider over the Internet you need the following components:
Figure 1/a - Prerequisites for Ozeki NG SMS
Gateway IP SMS connection
In this case you need to find an SMS service
provider who can reach the mobile phones in your area. This SMS
service provider should be able to provide SMS service through
the Internet. To find such a provider, you can check our
website where we list some of them:
SMPP SMS Service providers.
Once you have found such a provider, you need to sign up for
their service to get the connection parameters. You can use these parameters
to configure your Ozeki NG SMS Gateway software.
Prerequisites for wireless (GSM modem) connection to the Mobile network
If you wish to connect your system to the mobile
network wirelessly, you need a GSM modem or GSM phone, that you
can attach to your computer with a data cable. In this case your Ozeki
NG SMS Gateway software will operate this phone and will send and receive
SMS messages wirelessly. To setup this connection method, you need the following
components:
Figure 1/b - Prerequisites for Ozeki NG SMS
Gateway GSM modem connection
Your checklist (for GSM modem connection):
*The SIM card will come with a plan, that will
determine how much money you will spend on each SMS.
System architecture
After you have gathered all the prerequisites, you can build
a system that operates the following way: Check Point Connectra will provide
you with a login prompt. You can enter your username and a password on this form.
Following this Check Point Connectra looks up the mobile phone number of the
user, it generates a one time password and sends this password to Ozeki NG SMS
gateway through an HTTP request. The built in webserver of Ozeki NG SMS Gateway
will accept the request and will send the SMS message containing the one time
password through a mobile phone attached to the computer with a data cable.
(If an Internet SMS service provider account is configured in Ozeki NG SMS
Gateway, it can also send the message through the Internet).
Figure 2 - Ozeki NG SMS Gateway - solution
for how to send SMS from Check Point Connectra
Please note that it is more secure to send the one time passwords using a GSM
modem through the airwaves to the recipient, than through an Internet based
SMS service provider account, because it is significantly harder to intercept
an SMS message traveling through the air, than it is to intercept internet
traffic.
How to implement this solution
To send SMS from Check Point Connectra with the help of Ozeki
NG SMS Gateway you need to do the follows: First you need to enter Connectra
gateway to configure it for two factor authentication. This can be done using the
"First time configuration wizard". Then you need to setup the SMS gateway
in Check Point Connectra with the "Check Point Connectra Smart Dashboard".
Finally you have to configure Ozeki NG SMS Gateway, to operate the GSM modem
you have attached to your computer. Detailed step by step instructions are
provided and a video tutorial is available on the
setup
instructions page for adding two factor authentication to Check Point Connectra.
Conclusion
Check Point Connectra with Ozeki NG SMS Gateway is one of the
best solutions if you want to improve the security of your corporate IT system.
It is based on two factor authentication with one time passwords sent as SMS
makes to the mobile phones of users who want to access the system. This logon
method will make it impossible for unauthorized people to gain access to your
system. If one time passwords are sent with a GSM modem through a wireless
connection to the mobile network operators SMSC, you will have a very safe
system.
Request more information
If you are interested in this solution, let us know, so we can send you
more relevant information and quotation with prices. Please fill in the
following form:
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