Untangle launches Captive Portal with Release 7.2

Provides ability for organizations to validate and control access to the Internet

SAN MATEO, Calif., March 29, 2010 – Untangle, Inc., ., a network software company, today announced a new addition to its suite of best-of-breed products called Captive Portal. Released as part of Untangle’s latest update, Untangle 7.2, Captive Portal enables organizations to ensure compliance with their Internet terms of use by their users.

Most businesses, schools and government departments have an Internet policy in force. However, raising awareness of it, and ensuring adherence to it, remains a problem. Untangle Captive Portal enables organizations to display a mandatory default web page to all users, before they are able to access the internet. This Captive Portal web page can display and enforce an acceptable use policy, as well as authenticate users, to control internet access. Only on acceptance are they given access to the internet.

The Captive Portal log-in page is completely customizable, which allows for organizations to add their own messages to the log-in screen. Web developers can write fully custom login pages allowing for more complex setups, like charging users for internet access. For example, businesses that provide internet access as an extra service to their patrons, such as coffee shops, could restrict it to bona fide paying customers, through password controls.

Captive Portal supports a wide array of authentication mechanisms, from basic local directory-based authentication (on the Untangle server) to authentication through a Microsoft® Active Director® server or RADIUS server when coupled with Untangle’s Directory Connector. This allows network administrators to require users to log in before gaining access to the internet, and preventing others altogether.

In order to provide maximum flexibility, Captive Portal is highly customizable. It allows organizations to establish User Defined Capture Rules, to handle a variety of exceptions that may be required. For example, authentication may only be required during a specific time period; certain computers and users may be exempt from authentication by adding them to Pass Lists.

All attempts to log in to the internet through the Captive Portal are automatically logged. This provides a clear acceptance-of-terms audit trail for organizations and with it the teeth to enforce policy.

Other enhancements in Untangle 7.2

Directory Connector
Untangle’s AD Connector has been renamed Directory Connector. This is because it now supports both Microsoft ® Active Directory® server, and RADIUS server. This provides a wider range of user directories against which Untangle administrators can authenticate users.

Directory Connector now supports the notion of groups in Microsoft® Active Directory® server. This significantly reduces the administrative burden for Untangle administrators, as polices can be set for existing AD groups and will automatically apply to all users and subgroups within that group.

Reports
Many enhancements have been made to Reports, including:

  • Daily, weekly and monthly reports
  • New Highlights: a Summary of all reports
  • New “Server” reports show memory, disk, CPU usage

Supporting Quotes:

Bob Walters, CEO, Untangle, said: “Many businesses and schools require that their staff or students accept certain terms of use whilst online. Untangle’s Captive Portal provides them with the ability to enforce this.”

An Untangle 7.2 beta customer said: “The ability to customize Untangle’s Captive Portal is great. We’ve added a CAPCHA challenge to our log-in screen to ensure only real people are gaining access to our web services.”

Product Webinar:

Dirk Morris, CTO and Co-Founder of Untangle, demonstrates what’s new in Untangle 7.2 at 10:45a.m. Pacific Standard Time (PST) on Thursday April 1st, 2010.

To see the Webinar go to

Availability and Pricing:

  • Untangle 7.2 is available to download now.
  • The entry-level suite, including Captive Portal, is available for free.
  • Premium package offerings are available via low-cost subscription plans to meet individual small business or education needs.

Supporting Resources:

  • The Untangle suite also includes spam/virus blocker, Web content control, a remote access portal, a VPN, an intrusion prevention system (IPS), an attack shield, an ad blocker and more.
  • To view all Untangle small business offerings visit untangle.com.
  • To find out how Untangle customers are benefiting from Untangle visit untangle.com.

About Untangle

Untangle, a network software company, provides a new breed of multi-function firewall and Internet management applications that are optimized for the unique needs of smaller organizations. With a free multi-function firewall at its core and a suite of Internet management applications, Untangle’s superior solutions are available at the Industry’s lowest cost, and are easy-to-deploy and manage. Untangle’s proven network software solutions are installed across 20,000 organizations, protecting more than one million people and their computers. The company’s innovative open source approach takes the cost out of Internet management and with its try-before-you-buy approach organizations can now take control of their network within minutes and at no risk.