NetScreen Technologies: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|American technology company that was acquired by Juniper Networks}}

{{Infobox company

|name = NetScreen Technologies

|logo = NetScreen_Technologies_logo.jpg

|type = [[Division (business)|Division]]

|fate = Acquired by Juniper Networks

|slogan =

|foundation = 1997

|location_city = [[Sunnyvale, California|Sunnyvale, CA]].

|location_country = [[USA]]United States

|key_people = [[Ken Xie]], CTO, CEO, and Co-Founder, <br>Yan Ke, Co-Founder, Feng Deng, Co-Founder, Robert Thomas, CEO, Anson Chen, VP R&D, Nir Zuk, CTO

|num_employees =

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}}

'''NetScreen Technologies''' was an American technology company that was acquired by [[Juniper Networks]] for [[US$]]4 billion stock for stock in 2004.<ref>{{cite webnews |url=http://www.networkworld.com/edge/news/2004/0209juniscreen.html |title=Juniper acquires NetScreen |newspaper=Network World |date=2004-02/-09/2004 |publisher=networkworld.com |accessdate=20092017-01-2905 |last1=Duffy |first1=Jim |archive-date=2009-04-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090417060818/http://www.networkworld.com/edge/news/2004/0209juniscreen.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="jnprnetscreen">{{cite web|url=http://www.juniper.net/us/en/company/press-center/press-releases/2004/pr-040416.html|title=Juniper Networks Completes Acquisition of NetScreen Technologies and Appoints Frank J. Marshall to the Juniper Networks Board of Directors|date=April 16, 2004|publisher=Juniper Press Release|accessdate=2009-03-05}}</ref>

NetScreen Technologies developed [[Application-specific integrated circuit|ASIC]]-based Internet security systems and appliances that delivered high performance firewall, [[VPN]] and traffic shaping functionality to Internet [[data centerscenter]]s, [[e-business]] sites, [[broadband]] service providers and [[application service providersprovider]]s. NetScreen was the first [[Firewall (computing)|firewall]] manufacturer to develop a [[gigabit]]-speed firewall, the NetScreen-1000.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_pwwi/is_20050229/ai_mark01019684/?tag=content;col1 | work=Market Wire | title=Nupremis Deploys The NetScreen-1000 Best Of Breed Security Solution For Global Data Centers | year=2005}}</ref>

==History==

NetScreen Technologies was founded by Yan Ke, [[Ken Xie]], and Feng Deng.<ref>[http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-87845891.html HighBeam]{{dead link|date=February 2019|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Ken Xie, Chief Technology Officer and co-founder was also the CEO until Robert Thomas joined in 1998.<ref>[http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-50106034.html HighBeam]{{dead link|date=February 2019|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

Robert Thomas, NetScreen's president and chief executive officer, came to NetScreen in 1998 from [[Sun Microsystems]], where he was General Manager of Intercontinental Operations for Sun's software business, which includes security, networking, and Internet tools.<ref>[http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-53230275.html HighBeam]{{dead link|date=February 2019|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

Ken Xie left NetScreen in 2000 to found [[Fortinet]], a competing ASIC-based firewall company.<ref>[[{{cite web|url=http://www.sramanamitra.com/2010/04/21/putting-china-on-silicon-valley-map-netscreen-and-fortinet-founder-ken-xie-part-1/ |title=Putting China On The Silicon Valley Map: NetScreen And Fortinet]] Founder Ken Xie (Part 1) |website=sramanamitra.com |date=2010-04-21 |accessdate=2017-01-05}}</ref>

NetScreen acquired its core IPS technology through the purchase of OneSecure, Inc. for US$45 million in stock in 2002. OneSecure was created by Rakesh Loonkar (subsequently the co-founder of [[Trusteer]]), and [[Israel]]iIsraeli engineer Nir Zuk, who previouslyhad wasbeen one of [[Check Point|Check Point Software]]’s first employees.<ref andname=Nir>{{cite laterweb|url=http://www.itworld.com/article/2756415/careers/how-i-got-here--nir-zuk--cto--palo-alto-networks.html?page=2|title=How wentI onGot toHere: foundNir Zuk, CTO, [[Palo Alto Networks]] |website=itworld.com |date=2010-04-05 |accessdate=2017-01-05}}</ref>

In 2003, NetScreen hired Anson Chen as its vice president of research and development.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://newsroom.juniper.net/manual-releases/2003/NetScreen-Hires-Vice-President-of-Research-and-Dev|title=NetScreen Hires Vice President of Research and Development; Co-Founder Feng Deng Takes on New Role as Chief Strategy Officer|website=Juniper Networks|access-date=2019-01-28|archive-date=2012-11-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102063123/http://newsroom.juniper.net/manual-releases/2003/NetScreen-Hires-Vice-President-of-Research-and-Dev|url-status=dead}}</ref> Anson Chen, a 12-year veteran of [[Cisco Systems]], Inc. and its former vice president and general manager of the Network Management and Services Technology Group, leadled engineering, research and development efforts for NetScreen's entire product line, including its firewall, IPSec virtual private network (VPN) and [[intrusion detection]] and prevention technologies.<ref name=":0" /> Chen also had functional management responsibility for NetScreen's secure access products.<ref>[http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-131629611.html HighBeam]{{dead link|date=February 2019|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

==2015 "unauthorized code" incident==

==Aftermath==

{{main article|ScreenOS}}

Yan Ke and Feng Deng stayed with Juniper after the acquisition but then left Juniper in 2005 and started Northern Light Venture Capital, a China concept venture capital firm focused on early and growth stage opportunities in TMT, consumer, clean technologies, and life science industries.<ref>http://www.crunchbase.com/person/yan-ke</ref><ref>http://www.nlightvc.com/En/</ref>

Analysis of the [[firmware]] code in 2015 showed that a backdoor [[Key (cryptography)|key]] could exist using [[Dual_EC_DRBG]]. This would enable whoever held that key to passively decrypt traffic [[encrypted]] by ScreenOS.<ref name="wired-secret-code-in-junipers-firewalls">{{cite magazine | url=https://www.wired.com/2015/12/juniper-networks-hidden-backdoors-show-the-risk-of-government-backdoors | title=Secret Code Found in Juniper's Firewalls Shows Risk of Government Backdoors | author=Kim Zetter | magazine=Wired | publisher=wired.com | language=English | date=2015-12-18 | accessdate=2017-01-05}}</ref>

In December 2015, Juniper Systems announced that they had discovered "unauthorized code" in the ScreenOS software that underlies their NetScreen devices, present from 2012 onwards. There were two vulnerabilities: One was a simple [[root password]] [[Backdoor (computing)|backdoor]], and the other one was changing a point in Dual_EC_DRBG so that the attackers presumably had the key to use the pre-existing (intentional or unintentional) [[kleptographic]] backdoor in ScreenOS to passively decrypt traffic.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://blog.cryptographyengineering.com/2015/12/on-juniper-backdoor.html|title=On the Juniper backdoor|date=22 December 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/juniper-breach-mystery-starts-clear-130016591.html?guccounter=2|title=Juniper Breach Mystery Starts to Clear with New Details on Hackers and U.S. Role|date=2 September 2021 }}</ref>

Nir Zuk stayed with Juniper after the acquisition but then left in 2005 to start a new company, [[Palo Alto Networks]].<ref>http://www.paloaltonetworks.com/company/management.html</ref><ref name=Levi>{{Citation

| title = Nir Zuk to leave Juniper Networks

| url = http://www.ivc-online.com/ivcWeeklyItem.asp?articleID=2829

| year = 02/03/2005

| author = Levi, Ofer

| journal = Globes

}}</ref> Palo Alto Networks products are similar to OneSecure/NetScreen/Juniper's IPS technology as they share a common heritage.

==2015 "Unauthorized Code" Incident==

In December 2015 Juniper Systems announced that they had discovered "unauthorized code" in the ScreenOS software that underlies their NetScreen devices, present from 2012 onwards. They said this allowed unauthorized remote administrative access to Netscreen devices, and also "may allow a knowledgeable attacker who can monitor VPN traffic to decrypt that traffic." <ref>https://kb.juniper.net/InfoCenter/index?page=content&id=JSA10713&cat=SIRT_1&actp=LIST</ref>. The second vulnerability added to the [[Crypto Wars|public debate]] about the installation of [[backdoor (computing)|backdoors]] in cryptographic systems <ref>http://www.wired.com/2015/12/juniper-networks-hidden-backdoors-show-the-risk-of-government-backdoors</ref>.

==References==

{{reflist|30em}}

{{Juniper Networks}}

[[Category:Juniper Networks]]

[[Category:Defunct computer companies based in California]]

[[Category:TechnologyComputer companies disestablishedestablished in 20041997]]

[[Category:Computer companies disestablished in 2004]]

[[Category:Networking hardware companies]]

[[Category:Server appliance]]

[[Category:Computer security companies]]

[[Category:2004 mergers and acquisitions]]

[[Category:2001 initial public offerings]]

[[Category:Defunct computer companies of the United States]]

[[Category:Defunct computer hardware companies]]