An ExpressCard Slot Computer Designed to Protect Main Machine

Yoggie Security Systems has shrunk the computer, big time. Or should I say, little time? Their Gatekeeper Card Pro, shown for the first time today at the InfoSecurity Europe conference, is an extension of their current line of tiny systems that have embedded security suites. The $199 Linux-based system built into an ExpressCard form factor is designed to offload all tasks from its host computer related to viruses, phishing, spam, malware, spyware, and intrusion. It also handles filtering and parental control. This version also bundles a VPN client.

All the Yoggie adapters and appliances act as a sort of shunt between your network connection and your system. You install Yoggie software on your Windows XP or Vista computer with their directly connected devices, or plug a network Yoggie appliance between your broadband router and Ethernet switch. In either case, the Yoggie intercepts and analyzes all traffic, acting as the first line of defense against all incoming hazards, including crud that's embedded in email or trying to hit your system via a Web page or Web-based download.

Yoggie claims that having a dedicated computer within your computer frees your system up to perform at its best without reducing its security. Imagine Windows running with no anti-virus, anti-phishing, anti-malware, firewall, and intrusion-protection software! It might be rather speedy.

The Gatekeeper Card Pro will be released "soon," the company says, and on its own Web starting May 26, 2008.