What is a next generation firewall?
It is a network security device that functions as a barrier between an organization’s internal network and the internet, based on security regulations specified by the organization’s administrators.
A firewall is considered as one of the most fundamental and necessary components of a network security strategy by the number of employers. A next-generation firewall (NGFW) goes a step further by offering more advanced capabilities than traditional firewalls, resulting in increased security efficacy. Next-generation firewall technology protects a company’s network and data centers from a variety of threats.
What are the features of a next-generation firewall?
The majority of companies use firewalls as a standard security measure, but in light of today’s evolving threat landscape, only next-generation firewalls are capable of providing adequate protection.
No matter how widespread their features vary from service to service, next-generation firewalls are frequently equipped with a combination of the following capabilities:
1. The sensitivity of the application, for example, traffic filtering and complex rule-based traffic enforcement applications are both examples of where this is applicable. As a result, these firewalls can block traffic from specific applications while also allowing administrators to exert next-generation firewalls must have more control over specific applications.
2. Deep data check, which checks data packets for errors before sending them. A major improvement over traditional firewalls that only looked at the Deep packet inspection was used to determine the source and destination of a packet by inspecting the IP header of the packet.
3. Intrusion Prevention System (IPS), which keeps an eye out for malicious activity on the network and takes action when it’s detected. It is possible to use signature-based monitoring, policy-based monitoring, or anomaly-based monitoring to keep an eye on things.
4. With high performance, the firewall can keep track of large amounts of data without experiencing any lag. As a result, there are many security features built into next-generation firewalls that require processing time to prevent business operations from being disrupted.
5. Potential threat intelligence, or interaction with a threat intelligence network, is used to keep sensitive information updated and to help in the recognition of bad attackers.
6. The next-generation firewalls may include anti-virus and malware protection in addition to the aforementioned basic functions.
7. Furthermore, they can be implemented as a cloud-based service, which allows for greater scale and ease of maintenance.
The service provider maintains the firewall software, and resources are instantly resized to meet processing requirement as it occurs. Patching, upgrading, and sizing servers and networks are no longer the responsibility of enterprise information technology teams.
What is the benefit of using a next-generation firewall?
- Packets are inspected for malicious content by a next-generation firewall, which also employs layer 7 application filtering and has the capability of monitoring and blocking suspicious activity.
- Modern firewalls, in addition to protecting against a wide range of advanced threats, can receive updates from external threat intelligence networks, making them extremely effective. In some cases, intelligent automation can be used to maintain security policies without the need for manual intervention from overworked IT staff.
- Also, next-generation firewalls simplify security infrastructure management and control costs. A single reporting system consolidates multiple security features into one solution.
- Maintaining multiple security products increases IT staff workload and the risk of security breaches.
- Traditional firewall technologies include protocol checks; however, in a virtual environment where emails and ports are assigned dynamically, the technique is useless.
What are the five different types of firewalls?
We have listed the five different types of firewalls in this category:
1. Next-generation
It secures against cyber threats by effectively utilizing application-level, situationally, and intelligent technology.
2. Firewall with packet filtering
Examines the IP headers of packets and discards any that have been highlighted as potentially harmful.
3. Inspection gateway
Packet filtering and conversation monitoring are combined to provide an additional layer of security for users.
4. Circuit level gateway
Uses network protocol network authentication messages such as TCP greeting and other network protocol session initiation messages to detect malicious content.
5. Application-level Gateway
In order to filter packets, the departure point port and the HTTP request length of rope are examined. Proxy firewalls are also known as proxy servers in some circles.
