Network Deployment

Network Deployment

What Is a Firewall and Why Is It Important for Network Security?

by

Mustafa Ali

|

December 1, 2017

Firewall Network Security

In business today, information is more valuable than ever. Cybercrime is on the rise, which has led to all the top companies gearing up to protect their data. Data protection should be the top priority for all companies. This means that businesses must put in place a strong defense to prevent all kinds of cyber attacks.

One of the best defense mechanisms for network security is the Firewall Network Security. This firewall is a system designed to prevent unauthorized access to or from a private network. Companies can implement a firewall in either a hardware or software form or a combination of both. To keep this maintained, businesses should also invest in a skilled technician to handle regular maintenance and emergency situations. This is where Field Engineer can help.

Field Engineer is an online platform that helps clients, businesses just like you, overcome the outdated hurdles of technical problems by streamlining the process to find and hire top-notch freelance network engineers. Our engineers are skilled professionals who work on an hourly basis on a global network. These freelance technicians have experience and advanced knowledge in firewall network security, which provides a great relief and peace of mind to businesses.

A firewall is an important concept when it comes to computer security. If you aren’t convinced on the importance of a firewall or are unsure what a firewall is, this article will help you understand firewall network security and why it matters.


What is a Firewall?

The term firewall was originally used to describe physical walls in buildings that were made of concrete or steel. Firewalls functioned to halt the fire from spreading past that room or apartment. It was also designed as a safety feature. It happens to make a great metaphor which is why the current definition still remains valid today. In technical terms, a firewall is network security that looks at incoming and outgoing network traffic and prevents unauthorized access to maintain information security.

Within a computer system, there are internal networks and external networks such as the internet. The internal system is always trusted because only the user has access to this network. However, the internet can be malicious. Several types of malware and cyber hacking codes can infect networks and dramatically damage them instantaneously. As a result, firewall network security features diverse types of methods to combat damaging malware. The method for intrusion prevention depends on the type of firewall in effect and the predicted dangers.

Layers of Security

There are various layers of a security system. First, there is the physical layer. This refers to the actual hardware. When a system is firewalled physically, there is no connection with outside networks. While this method can be very effective, it is limiting and not as flexible or fast as other methods. The second kind of firewall layer is the application type. This is at the software level where bits of code determine what kind of information is passing through. This filtering is done via a process known as packet filtering.

Protocols

There are two types of Internet Protocol (IP) traffic: Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) & User Datagram Protocol (UDP). TCP is connection based, while UDP is connectionless. These protocols send information over the internet, and when they reach a computer, the protocol looks at the information and decides what to do with it. This is when the firewall filters the information packets that are at the right stage of the connection. Using something called stateful inspection, a firewall will determine if the information is appropriate for your computer or network to process.

Common Attack Vector

However, a common attack is performed on computer networks through proxy servers. These servers are run through various cyber filters to make it difficult to track down where the attack is originating from. Using multiple attacks, they will send packets of information to your computer and attempt to overwhelm the state management, which means that the server cannot end the connection. It is trapped in an endless loop of connections, this is known as a DDoS attack.


These are the various types of firewalls that can assist in the safety of your network:

  • Proxy firewall
  • Application Layer
  • Generation Firewalls
  • Software Firewall
  • Based Firewalls
  • Web application firewalls

Web application firewalls are different than a physical or hardware firewall. Instead of waiting until the packets reach the device, web application firewalls attempt to cut it off at the source through the use of certain sniffing techniques, this firewall will detect bad traffic vs good traffic.

the reason that having a firewall at your web connection portal is so important is that UDP and TCP protocol is transferred over HTTP. This means information packets can be disguised through something called a TLS handshake. A TLS handshake is when two computers, whether it is a server, laptop, desktop computer or even a mobile phone start communicating. In order to communicate, they must have a common language and trust for the other device. Many security certificates online, such as SSL, accomplish this by having a trusted, shareable code.

Trust and Firewall Network Security

Once this code is downloaded by both computers and the networks have detected the virtual handshake, it is time for the firewall to do its job and make sure that only the allowed information is passed through. However, a firewall only listens to the packets it receives. If a packet was manipulated earlier on before it reached your core firewall, the internal software has no way of knowing. This is precisely why the more firewalls you have throughout your network structure, the more secure your business will be. A quality network engineer will be able to guide you regarding the best process to establish firewall network security.

Finding the Right Professionals

The installation of firewalls can be confusing, which is why hiring a trained professional is the best option when it comes to your firewall network security. The easiest way to find a skilled technician is through Field Engineer..

Field Engineer is a Telecom Freelance Marketplace that connects you with the best engineers all around the world. They have fast AI matching, so you can find the right person in a blink of an eye. It is free for businesses looking to hire technicians. Field Engineer allows businesses to manage workflow and prescreen all of our technicians to ensure you’re getting the most qualified, capable technicians you need. You can even use real-time tracking to see what your engineers are doing on a moment by moment basis.

When it comes to technology and business, you want to make sure you have the right protection in place. The last thing you want is for important data to fall into the wrong hands. Long gone are the days where businesses could compete without protecting their technology infrastructure with firewall network security. Be sure to protect the future of your company by getting the right engineers working for you so you can enjoy having peace of mind. Sign-up for Field Engineer today to get quality engineers that you can trust with your business’ most important data!

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