Thursday, August 20, 2020

What is a firewall? how does it work?

What is a firewall? how does it work?

The standard firewall definition suggests that firewalls are systems that are fitted to provide network security. This is done by filtering out any network traffic based on user-defined conditions. They reduce and, in some cases, eliminate unwanted communications in the network and at the same time, allow any real communication and information to flow freely in and out. Firewalls are not an option - they are essential for any business. They work hard to prevent attackers from maliciously accessing your server and data.

Different types of firewalls and architectures

Do you know that there are eight types of firewalls? There are different uses of firewalls and it depends on which one you are using to determine what you are using for your business. Let's look at different types of firewalls:

Packet-filtering firewall

It is the oldest firewall there. They are designed to create checkpoints on individual routers or switches. Packet-filtering firewalls examine data packets that try to get through it, without checking the contents. If trying to access information looks suspicious, it cannot be retrieved through the network. It is a simple firewall that does not greatly affect network performance.

Circuit level entrance

Circuit-level gateways are like packet-filtering firewalls that quickly and easily check traffic and approve or reject it. They do it without being overburdened with resources. Circuit-level gateway transmission control protocols operate by verifying handshakes. It does not directly detect packets, so there is a risk of malware. These are not the best way to protect your business.

State inspection firewall

Combining the above two firewalls, stateful check firewalls provide a high level of security for your business. The problem with these is that they take up more resources, which slows down legitimate packet transfer.


Proxy Firewall (Application-Level Gateway / Cloud Firewall)

If you want firewalls that work at the application layer to filter traffic, then proxy firewalls do just that. Most of the time they are cloud based, and they establish traffic connections and monitor data packets arriving through them. The difference between these and stateful inspection firewalls is that proxy firewalls can more deeply inspect packet contents. The downside to this is that they can cause network slowdown due to all the extra steps - but they are all in the name of protecting your business.

Next generation firewall

There is no real understanding of what will happen to the "next generation" over time as firewalls are built. There are similarities between these firewalls and native ones and include TCP handshakes and packet checks. Next-generation firewalls also use IPS - an intrusion prevention system to prevent network-attacks.

Software firewall 

These are any firewalls installed on local devices. The biggest drawback of these is that they can create a useful, deep defensive path. It is not easy to manage on more than one device, so you may need more than one for each asset.

Hardware firewall 

Hardware firewalls use physical devices and act as traffic routers. Intercept data packets before connecting to a network server. The weakness here is that they can be easily bypassed, which is contrary to your need for a firewall.

Cloud Firewalls

Cloud solutions are also known as FOS-firewalls. They often work with proxy firewalls and the most important benefit of these is that they grow with your business. They serve to filter large amounts of traffic from your malicious company.

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