Types of Firewall Security Measures

A Guide to Firewall Security: Concerns, Capabilities, and Limitations

January 14, 2022
| Network Security

Firewalls are an essential  network security measure for any business. They act as a barrier between your internal network and the outside world and can help protect your data against malicious hackers. However, firewall security is only effective if you understand how firewalls work, including their strengths and limitations.

What Is a Firewall?

A firewall is a security measure designed to protect your computer or network against unauthorized access. Firewalls can be hardware-based or software-based. They are critical tools for protecting your computer or network against hackers and other online threats.

How Do Firewalls Work?

Firewalls work by blocking incoming and outgoing traffic based on predefined rules. These rules can be based on source IP address, destination IP address, port number, protocol, or application. Firewalls can also block traffic based on content inspection. This means that firewalls can scan data packets for specific keywords or patterns and then block them if they match certain predefined rules.

Firewalls are often used in conjunction with other security measures, like antivirus software designed to protect your computer from viruses and malware that can be downloaded through email attachments or web browsers.

Types of Firewall Security Measures

There are two main types of firewall security solutions: software and hardware. Software firewall solutions are typically installed on a single computer or device, whereas hardware firewall solutions cover an entire network at once. Firewall security measures can also be categorized by the type of traffic they protect against (e.g., malicious websites), how much bandwidth is allocated for each user, and what encryption methodologies are used to protect communications between clients and servers.

Some firewalls come with built-in antivirus programs. This means that they can detect viruses before they infect a system by scanning incoming emails or files downloaded from web browsers such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Chrome. Firewalls can also be used to block specific websites from being accessed on a network. This can be useful for organizations that want to prevent their employees from accessing certain websites while at work.

Security Concerns with Firewalls

One of the primary security concerns regarding firewall solutions is that they don’t always protect against all types of attacks. Firewalls can only block traffic from entering or leaving a network if it matches specific predefined rules, which means that firewall solutions are not foolproof when it comes to protecting against malicious websites and other online threats (Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency, 2019). Firewall security measures may also be bypassed by hackers who use sophisticated techniques like port redirection and IP spoofing.

Another concern for many businesses is whether firewall solutions will slow down their networks due to bandwidth limitations on specific applications (e.g., email) or protocols used by these firewalls to secure communications between clients and servers, such as SSL/TLS encryption methods (HTTPS). In addition, many firewall solutions are also designed to work with specific antivirus software products. This can create compatibility issues if an organization wants to use an alternative firewall vendor.

Capabilities and Limitations of Firewalls

Firewalls are a necessary part of any organization’s security infrastructure, but they should not be considered the only line of defense. Firewall solutions have several strengths in terms of their ability to help organizations protect their networks against cyberthreats, but they also have certain weaknesses; even the most effective firewalls cannot stop all types of attacks from entering your network (or leaving it).

Firewall Capabilities

  • Block incoming and outgoing traffic based on a defined set of rules
  • Scan packets of data for keywords or patterns and block any that match specific predefined rules
  • Can be used with other security measures, like antivirus software, to protect computers against viruses and malware
  • Specify the types of traffic they protect against (e.g., malicious websites) and how much bandwidth is allocated for each user
  • Block certain websites from being accessed on a network

Firewall Limitations

  • Don’t provide complete protection against malicious websites and other online threats
  • Can be bypassed by hackers using techniques like port redirection or IP spoofing
  • Can create compatibility issues when switching vendors

Ready to Learn More About Network Defense?

Firewall security is a critical component of any IT infrastructure and should not be overlooked or ignored. However, while firewalls are an important part of any organization’s security infrastructure (Lutkevich, 2021), they should not be considered the only line of defense.

EC-Council’s Certified Network Defender (C|ND) certification course offers an extensive guide to secure networking practices, including what network administrators and other cybersecurity professionals need to know when making decisions about firewall implementation. If you’re interested in enrolling to the best network security courses and advancing your IT or cybersecurity career, contact EC-Council today for more details on how our certification programs can help you protect organizations’ networks against cyberattacks.

References

Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency. (2019, November 14). Security tip (ST04-004): Understanding firewalls for home and small office use. U.S. Department of Homeland Security. https://www.cisa.gov/uscert/ncas/tips/ST04-004

Lutkevich, B. (2021). Firewall. TechTarget. https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/definition/firewall

Share this Article
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
WhatsApp
Pinterest
You may also like
Recent Articles
Become A
Certified Network Defender

"*" indicates required fields

Name*
Address*