25 Feb 4 Tips For Better Firewall Management
A firewall is one of the most important components of safeguarding your company’s network.
Firewalls regulate network traffic flow by deciding whether to accept or reject incoming packets based on established security criteria.
What Are The Different Types Of Threats Firewalls Face?
“Traditional firewall software no longer delivers real security,” argues CSO’s Roger A. Grimes, “but the most recent iteration now offers both client-side and network protection.”
Traditional firewalls, according to Grimes, only defend against unauthorized users or viruses.
End-user mistakes, such as clicking on a malicious link, are not protected. “When the end-user accomplishes this,” Grimes adds, “it makes a ‘allowed’ outbound connection to begin the ensuing ‘allowed’ inbound connection back to the user’s machine.” “Client-side” assaults account for practically all attacks, and firewalls aren’t very successful at blocking those kinds of connections.”
What Is A Modern Firewall, Exactly?
The third generation of firewall technology, known as next-generation firewalls, is already available (NGFWs). Since they’ve been operating for more than a decade, the name appears to be outdated. NGFWs, on the other hand, provide new capabilities to firewall security in addition to monitoring incoming and outgoing data, such as:
Control and knowledge of the application
User awareness is important.
SSL examination
Functions for preventing intrusion
According to NSS Labs, around 80% of US businesses have adopted NGFW solutions.
How Can I Improve My Firewall Management?
The National Institute of Standards and Technology has produced a list of Guidelines On Firewalls and Firewall Policy that, while being over a decade old, still applicable today due to its essential principles.
Establish a policy: You should get one if you don’t already have one. Use this policy to direct your firewall’s acceptance or rejection of network traffic. Because of the sensitive nature of their data, some businesses, such as insurance and healthcare, may demand more severe firewall standards. Make sure to include a method for submitting modification requests, as well as an approval procedure for those requests, as well as a plan for implementing new firewall restrictions.
Make a list of all criteria: Determine the type of firewall product or service you require for your particular situation. Make a plan for how the firewall will fit into the systems you already have. Take into account the actual location(s) where you do business as well.
Formulate rulesets: Make sure you understand how your firewall manages and monitors network traffic. “Some firewalls, for example, scan traffic against rules in a sequential way until a match is discovered,” according to the NIST study. “Wherever practicable, the rules with the best likelihood of matching traffic patterns should be placed at the front of the list for these firewalls.”
Throughout the life of the firewall, manage the architecture, policies, and associated components: Keep an eye on your system’s performance to determine if any adjustments are required. To assist counter attacks, identify possible resource concerns. Also, remember to update your firewall software on a regular basis when your vendor issues an update.
Follow these simple procedures to find security flaws in your system and improve your firewall.
In some ways, better firewall administration entails getting back to basics by establishing a detailed strategy and sticking to it.
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