In regard to firewalls, packet filtering accomplishes which of the following?

Network firewalls are security devices used to stop or mitigate unauthorized access to private networks connected to the Internet, especially intranets. The only traffic allowed on the network is defined via firewall policies — any other traffic attempting to access the network is blocked. Network firewalls sit at the front line of a network, acting as a communications liaison between internal and external devices.

A network firewall can be configured so that any data entering or exiting the network has to pass through it — it accomplishes this by examining each incoming message and rejecting those that fail to meet the defined security criteria. When properly configured, a firewall allows users to access any of the resources they need while simultaneously keeping out unwanted users, hackers, viruses, worms or other malicious programs trying to access the protected network.

Software vs. hardware firewalls

Firewalls can be either hardware or software. In addition to limiting access to a protected computer and network, a firewall can log all traffic coming into or leaving a network, and manage remote access to a private network through secure authentication certificates and logins.

• Hardware firewalls: These firewalls are released either as standalone products for corporate use, or more often, as a built-in component of a router or other networking device. They are considered an essential part of any traditional security system and network configuration. Hardware firewalls will almost always come with a minimum of four network ports that allow connections to multiple systems. For larger networks, a more expansive networking firewall solution is available.
• Software firewalls: These are installed on a computer, or provided by an OS or network device manufacturer. They can be customized, and provide a smaller level of control over functions and protection features. A software firewall can protect a system from standard control and access attempts, but have trouble with more sophisticated network breaches.

A firewall is considered an endpoint protection technology. In protecting private information, a firewall can be considered a first line of defense, but it cannot be the only defense.

Firewall types

Firewalls are relied upon to secure home and corporate networks. A simple firewall program or device will sift through all information passing through the network — this process can also be customized depending on the needs of the user and the capabilities of the firewall. There are a number of major firewall types that prevent harmful information from passing through the network:

• Application-layer Firewalls: This is a hardware appliance, software filter, or server plug-in. It layers security mechanisms on top of defined applications, such as FTP servers, and defines rules for HTTP connections. These rules are built for each application, to help identify and block attacks to a network.
• Packet Filtering Firewalls: This filter examines every packet that passes through the network — and then accepts or denies it as defined by rules set by the user. Packet filtering can be very helpful, but it can be challenging to properly configure. Also, it’s vulnerable to IP spoofing.
• Circuit-level Firewalls: This firewall type applies a variety of security mechanisms once a UDP or TCP connection has been made. Once the connection is established, packets are exchanged directly between hosts without further oversight or filtering.
• Proxy Server Firewalls: This version will check all messages that enter or leave a network, and then hide the real network addresses from any external inspection.
• Next Generation Firewalls (NGFW): These work by filtering traffic moving through a network — the filtering is determined by the applications or traffic types and the ports they are assigned to. These features comprise a blend of a standard firewall with additional functionality, to help with greater, more self-sufficient network inspection.
• Stateful Firewalls: Sometimes referred to as third generation firewall technology, stateful filtering accomplishes two things: traffic classification based on the destination port, and packet tracking of every interaction between internal connections. These newer technologies increase usability and assist in expanding access control granularity — interactions are no longer defined by port and protocol. A packet’s history in the state table is also measured.

All of these network firewall types are useful for power users, and many firewalls will allow for two or more of these techniques to be used in tandem with one another.

May 10, 2020 | By admin

The Internet is a dangerous place filled with all kinds of security threats. Therefore the moment your network – be it small or large – connects to the internet, it gets exposed to all kinds of security issues, unless it is protected by what is known as a firewall, which is responsible for filtering traffic which flows into (and goes out of) your network, thereby greatly reducing the impact of malicious traffic traveling over public internet can have on your network.

What Exactly Is A Firewall, In Simple Terms?

Firewall, a term which is supposedly coined by AT&T’s Steven M.Bellovin, is a metaphor (wall on fire) indicating that it prevents intruders (like virus, trojans, ransomware, other types of malware and other such security threats) from breaking into networks and infecting them. Simply put, network firewall(s) protect your networks against security threats.

Types Of Firewall

The concept ‘network firewall’ has evolved over the years, and roughly speaking, you now have about 5 different types of them. Let’s take a look at them briefly.

• Packet Filtering Firewall: this is the first firewall created for network security which was basically responsible for filtering (inspecting) data packets coming into the network based on an established rule-set (or criteria) – like allowing data from only certain IP addresses, packet types, port numbers etc., – and ignoring those which don’t match them.
• Circuit Level Firewall Or Gateway: these firewalls operate at the session level – monitoring TCP handshakes – instead of at the data packets level. Simply put, they ensure the external sessions your network encounters (or engages with) are legitimate or not.
• Stateful Inspection Firewall: these network firewalls accomplish both data packet filtering and session (TCP handshake) filtering. In other words, they do the job of both packet filtering and circuit level filtering firewalls. This means they monitor all active sessions or connections and thus determine which network packets should be allowed or disallowed.
• Application Level Firewall: these firewalls operate at the application level. In other words, they filter the traffic only with regards to the application (or service) for which they are intended. For example, a firewall for monitoring traffic to all the web applications your network uses.

Next Gen Firewall Is The Future

The firewalls which are most popular at the moment are next-gen firewalls. The obvious reason being the modern-day malware which is quite complex in nature gives rise to the need for a more sophisticated firewall for monitoring (and safeguarding) the network efficiently. This firewall is the least-well delineated firewall of all and is usually a combination of stateful inspection and deep packet inspection firewalls.

Use Comodo Internet Security (CIS)

Comodo Internet Security, which comes equipped with impressive security features, contains the best firewall the IT security industry has to offer. Operating using the Comodo’s patented Default Deny Approach (which is implemented via Containment technology), it offers effective resistance not just against malware threats but against zero-day attacks too.

Apart from offering an award-winning best firewall, CIS also offers features like Secure Shopping, Spyware Scanning, technologies like HIPS (Host Intrusion Prevention System) and Viruscope, and other important features like unlimited product support, virus removal, online backup, wifi security etc.,

Please note: CIS’s award-winning firewall is available only with the priced editions (Antivirus Advanced, Internet Security Pro, and Internet Security Complete).

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Which of the following best defines packet filtering?

Which of the following best defines what intrusion detection is?

Which of the following refers to a type of firewall that filters on a specific application's content and session information?

How does a packet filtering firewall differ from a circuit level gateway?