WHAT IS FIREWALL?

Firewall is a network security device that is designed to monitor unauthorized access to or from the private network. It can be hardware or software. Firewalls prevent unauthorized users from accessing private networks connected to the internet. It provides a barrier to control network traffic. The most important use of a Firewall is to protect your computer or the network from being attacked by internet hackers, viruses, and worms.

FIVE TYPES OF FIREWALLS:

1. Stateful inspection firewalls evaluate network traffic to determine whether one packet is related to another packet.
2. Next-gen firewalls use a multilayered approach to consolidate enterprise firewall capabilities with an IPS and application control.
3. Packet filtering firewalls evaluate data packets in isolation and don't know the packet's context.
4. Application-level gateways inspect packets at the application layer of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) reference model.
5. Circuit-level gateways provide security by monitoring TCP handshaking between packets from trusted clients or servers to untrusted hosts and vice versa.

ADVANTAGES OF FIREWALL SECURITY:

• Easy installation procedure
• Companies can easily manage websites that can be accessed by employees. Automatically blocking the user from accessing other websites except for the ones provided by the company.
• It can block suspicious IP addresses.
• Protects network from viruses and worms
• It controls the traffic in and out of the network.
• It blocks other computers from accessing programs installed in your computer or network.
• It protects your wireless network (WiFi)

LIMITATIONS OF FIREWALL SECURITY:

• A firewall cannot stop users from access inaccessible websites when they are using malicious codes.
• It cannot prevent users or attackers when they are using a modem if they are dialing in to or out of the internal network.
• A firewall cannot protect a network that is lacking security systemsor measures.
• It cannot always protect your network from h As hackers don’t just attack malware or trojans – they know where exactly to get into your computer or network thus, bypassing the firewall.

FIREWALL VENDORS:

There are different types of firewalls - features and vendors available to choose from based on what your network needs.

1. Cisco Firepower Series is an integrated suite of network security and traffic management products, deployed either on purpose-built platforms or as a software solution.
2. Barracuda CloudGen Firewall offers a comprehensive set of next-generation firewall technologies to ensure real-time network protection against a broad range of network threats, vulnerabilities, and exploits, including SQL injections, cross-site scripting, denial of service attacks, trojans, viruses, worms, spyware, and many more.
3. Fortinet FortiGate combinesthe functionality of traditional firewalls with deep packet inspection (DPI) and machine learning to bring enhanced protection to your network.
4. SonicWall Network Security appliance Series provides organizations that range in scale from mid-sized networks to distributed enterprises and data centers with advanced threat prevention in a high- performance security platform.
5. Sophos XG Series provides unprecedented visibility into your network, users, and applications directly from the all-new control center.

STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO FIREWALL CONFIGURATION:

Step 1: Secure your firewall. Update your firewall to the latest firmware.

Step 2: Architect your firewall zones and IP addresses. Plan out your network structure so that these assets can be grouped together and placed into networks (or zones) based on similar sensitivity level and function.

Step 3: Configure access control lists Make your ACLs specific to the exact source and/or destination IP addresses and port numbers whenever possible. At the end of every access control list, make sure there is a “deny all” rule to filter out all unapproved traffic. Apply both inbound and outbound ACLs to each interface and subinterface on your firewall so that only approved traffic is allowed into and out of each zone.

Step 4: Configure your other firewall services and logging. Configure the services you wish to use. Disable all the extra services that you don’t intend to use.

Step 5: Test your firewall configuration. Don’t forget to verify that your firewall is blocking traffic that should be blocked according to your ACL configurations. Testing your firewall should include both vulnerability scanning and penetration testing.

Always remember that network security such as Firewall is there to help us protect our computer network. Businesses should think of security measures that are suitable for the company in order to protect their assets. This is where General Technologies, led by Paul General, CEO/Cybersecurity Specialist comes in. We have various cybersecurity program that suits any business size.

Contact us at 412-853-3708 or email us at info@gcchelp.com.

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Since businesses are offering a variety of services that go through different internet channels such as social media marketing, email marketing, online advertising, etc.; this is the main reason why a firewall is a MUST-HAVE device.

Here are some of the main reasons why the Firewall is important:

• To protect your computers from unauthorized access
• To block users from accessing unauthorized or prohibited websites
• To secure your network against hackers
• To keep business’ sensitive data such as personal information, clients’ details, financial record, etc.
• Preventing virus, malware, and worms to get into computers
• To block and identify malicious content

While you don’t want to restrict your employees in doing some research to perform their jobs effectively, there are just too many temptations on the internet that may lead to a cyber attack. To prevent any damages which may lead to business loss it is important to invest in a strong and stable Firewall.

And to get help on Firewall installation, repair or other IT service, General Technologies is just one call away. We can help you in determining what type of Firewall is best and fits your business needs.

Contact us at (412) 990-1414 or send us an email to info@gcchelp.com and get your FREE quote and consultation!

General Technologies – “Your total outsourced I.T. solution”

“We DO I.T. so you don’t have to”

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Five types of Firewalls:

1. Stateful inspection firewalls
2. Next-gen firewalls
3. Packet filtering firewalls
4. Application-level gateways
5. Circuit-level gateways

Advantages of having Firewall security:

• Easy installation procedure
• Companies can easily manage websites that can be accessed by employees. Automatically blocking the user from accessing other websites except for the ones provided by the company.
• It can block suspicious IP addresses.
• Protects network from viruses and worms
• It controls the traffic in and out of the network.
• It blocks other computers from accessing programs installed in your computer or network.
• It protects your wireless network (WiFi)

Though we have listed many of its advantages, firewall security has its own limitations too and some of it follows:

• A firewall cannot stop users to access inaccessible websites when they are using malicious codes.
• It cannot prevent users or attackers when they are using a modem if they are dialing in to or out of the internal network.
• A firewall cannot protect a network that is lacking security system or measures.
• It cannot always protect your network from Hackers. As hackers don’t just attack malware or Trojans – they know where exactly to get into your computer or network thus, bypassing the firewall.

We must always remember that network security such as Firewall is there to help us protect our computer network. But if the company or business is lacking security organization or measurement, Firewalls alone cannot do everything to protect you from all the harm in the computer world. Businesses should think of security measures that are suitable for the company in order to protect their assets.

Partnering with General Technologies, you have a peace of mind that the service you will get is nothing but the best and quality service. Responsibility and efficiency are in our name. For quotes, questions, or I.T. assistance, call us and talk to our professionals at (412) 990-1414 or send us an email at info@gcchelp.com.

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