SocketBlock is a high performance ActiveX COM packet filtering component

SocketBlock

SocketBlock Overview

SocketBlock is a high performance ActiveX COM packet filtering component that allows network applications to have the ability to filter packets from other applications attempting to connect to, send to, send or connect from the machine running SocketBlock while incurring almost no CPU usage. SocketBlock allows the developer to add rules according to the originating and destination IP addresses, protocol and ports along with a number of other options that define what packets should be filtered (both incoming and outgoing). This type of packet filtering ability is extremely important if a network application is to be able to deal with malicious [network] attacks such as Denial Of Service attacks. By trapping the the packets that meet user defined rules before the application receives them, and then dropping them, very little processing power is used with SocketBlock. In contrast, a normal network application simply refusing to accept a connection is susceptible to being overrun by requests, because it uses the virtually the same amount of memory and CPU as if the machine were accepting the connection or receiving the data.

SocketBlock Features

Access to packet filtering via an ActiveX component (can be used by any environment that can use an ActiveX component)
Can perform filtering with or without the use of events (configurable event thresholds)
Supports filtering on TCP, UDP, and ICMP protocols
Includes three Global Security filters for checking consistency of fragments, destination of input addess, and fragments from the cache
Allows packet filters to be set up to block all traffic by default, or to let all traffic pass by default; rules then operate against this
Supports filtering of packets both incoming (to the SocketBlock machine) and outgoing (packets attempting to leave the SocketBlock machine)
Lightweight component built with MSVC++ 6 and ATL 3.0 is under 200K, and requires no other files to be redistributed
Multi-threaded design ensures that high rate of packets filtered does not interfere with the main thread of your application
Configurable buffers for receiving data
Provides IP address identification for all local NIC cards (multi-homed)
Filtered packets shows both the source and destination IP addresses
Exposes all raw packet information for captured packets including headers and raw data

General
Microsoft Transaction Server Compatible (MTS)
Supports Apartment Model Threading
Supports Component Categories

Compatible Containers
Microsoft Visual Studio 6.0
Microsoft Visual Studio 97
Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0
Microsoft Visual Basic 5.0
Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0
Microsoft Visual C++ 5.0
Microsoft Visual J++ 6.0
Microsoft Visual InterDev 6.0
Microsoft Visual InterDev 1.0
Microsoft Visual FoxPro 6.0
Microsoft Visual FoxPro 5.0
Microsoft ActiveX Control Pad
Microsoft Office 2000
Microsoft Office 97
Microsoft Access 2000
Microsoft Access 97
Microsoft Access 95
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft Internet Information Server 4.0
Borland C++ 5.0
Borland C++ Builder 4
Borland C++ Builder 3
Borland Delphi 5.0
Borland Delphi 4.0
Borland Delphi 3.0