Network firewalls are your organization’s first line of defense. By inspecting and controlling inbound/outbound traffic, they prevent unauthorized access and mitigate attacks.
Types of Firewalls
- Packet-Filtering Firewalls
- Operate at OSI Layer 3/4
- Simple rules based on IP, por
- Stateful Inspection
- Track connection state
- More secure than packet-filtering
- Proxy Firewalls
- Act as intermediaries
- Hide internal network addresses
- Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFW)
- Deep packet inspection
- Integrated intrusion prevention, application awareness
Key Features to Look For
- Application-level filtering
- Intrusion detection/prevention (IDS/IPS)
- SSL/TLS inspection
- User-identity integration
Design Best Practices
- Defense in Depth: Layer firewalls with IDS, antivirus, endpoint security
- Least Privilege: Default-deny rulesets
- Network Segmentation: Isolate critical assets
- Regular Audits: Rule cleanup and log analysis
Real-World Example
A financial institution segmented its network into DMZ, internal, and management zones—applying a NGFW at each border to inspect traffic and block anomalous patterns.
Conclusion & CTA
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