The Role Played by a Firewall in Cyber Security

The Role Played by a Firewall in Cyber Security

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In today’s fast-paced digital life, where everything is centered on ‘Internet’, where everything seems ‘just a click away’, where every single most important communication or the passing of information is being made ‘online’.Cybersecurity is very important and has become a challenge to achieve.

 

And With this growing dependence on the internet or similar connected devices to it, it is almost inevitable not to participate in the technology-driven environment around us, in which we are breathing right now, Hence, making our systems more susceptible to cyber-attacks.

 

No doubt, the internet is prone to multiple threats. It is not wrong to say that, just like any connected computer or everything that you connect to the internet is vulnerable to the end. Any organization or any individual, who expose their systems on the internet, is responsible and have to endeavor to protect their confidential information and resources by implementing the appropriate techniques to circumvent these threats.

 

One such way is the firewall- A network security device.

 

 

 The topics discussed in this article are;

 

• What is cybersecurity?
• Advantages of cybersecurity
• What is a firewall?
• Why choose a firewall?
• Types of firewall
• Expectations of a firewall implementation
• Advantages and disadvantages of firewall

 

 

• What is Cyber Security?

 

Cybersecurity is a practice or way to defend one’s device, data, networks, or programs and other sensitive information from malicious cyber attacks such as phishing, ransomware, spyware, etc. The victim of cyber attacks can be anyone from an individual to a big company or maybe a country even.

 

“Accordingto Forbes, the global cyber security market reached $75 billion for 2015 and is expected to hit $170 billion in 2020.”

 

No doubt, cyber-attacks are the biggest threat for agencies to overcome. In the market place of the cyber world, which is an interactive virtual space where all devices and entities interact as they are intertwined through the internet. Communication of any sort between different entities, namely, large or small enterprise, social media, mobile applications, software, or cloud computing is all prone to threats.

 

• Advantages of Cybersecurity

 

• Protection against viruses, worms, or any other unwanted programs.
• Protection against data security.
• Protection against any theft or malware.
• Save the systems or websites from crashes.
• Assures security of cyberspace.
• Helps in building trust and confidence in consumers.
• Builds strong cyber defense mechanisms.
• Maintains privacy.

 

 

• Whatis a Firewall?

 

A cybersecurity firewall is a network security device, which is primarily designed to monitors the incoming and outgoing network traffic and blocks and permit data as per the set rules.

 It acts as a protective barrier between the internal trusted network and untrusted network traffic to block malicious hackers or viruses.

 

• It uses the defense mechanism of filtering data from incoming traffic by carefully analyzing it, which is based on a pre-defined set of policies or rules that prevent the system from being attacked by unsecured and suspicious sources.

 

• It acts like a security guard and controls the incoming and outgoing network traffic.

 

• Every specific kind of network traffic, in the form of email requests, or access to sensitive data, to a resource behind the firewall or inside the trusted network, will thoroughly be investigated, analyzed, and then allowed to be passed through or blocked based on pre-defined security rules.

 

• The security rules into the firewall are easily customizable as per the preference.

 

 

 

• Why choose a Firewall?

 

Large organizations believe in creating a trusted network and they defined it as a private platform that they need to the public or expose their information to the external world.

 

All of their applications and devices published on the internet are placed within the secured framework of the trusted network. Organizations are always staying on alert for improved methodologies to secure their devices and application from any kind of serious cyber-attack. A firewall is one such solution placed at protecting the framework of the organization’s trusted network where the end-user gains access to the application. 

 

 

• Types of Firewall

 

            There are various types of firewalls such as;

 

• Hardware Firewall - It is one of the most popular types of firewalls. It is a physical device similar to a server that filters traffic to a computer.

 

• Software Firewall- A software firewall is a program that needs to be installed into a system that helps in regulating traffic through ports and applications.

 

• Packet Filtering Firewall- It is the most common type of firewall. Its main job is to examine the packets and stop them if they don’t match the pre-established criteria of rules. It checks the packet’s source destination and IP address. Once matched, then it can be allowed to enter into the trusted network

 

• Stateful Multi-Layer Inspecting Firewall – This firewall filter packets from the network and then carefully examine each layer individually.  

 

• Application Firewall- As the name suggests, it is an application-based firewall, which controls and inspects packets at the application level. It can differentiate between what constitutes safe and malicious traffic.

 

• Next-Generation Firewall- NGF combines traditional firewall technology with the latest innovations such as encrypted traffic inspection, Anti – intrusion, Antivirus, and more. It promotes a deep inspection of the packets, helping users to identify and stop the malicious data from coming.

 

• Telephony Related Firewall- These are special firewall which is related to telephones and VoIP services which protect the system against telephone-related threats.

 

• TheExpectation of a Firewall Implementation

 

     Implementation of a firewall does the following things:

 

• It ensures that all the traffic coming from external resources (such as websites, wi-fi) should be routed through the firewall.
• The predefined rules and regulations ensure full safety and timely detection of all possible threats from suspicious incoming traffic.
• It denies access to unrequested traffic, where on the other hand it allows passing of all requested traffic.
• It is also important to identify the right type of firewall for the expected load is imperative to ensure performance is not impacted.

 

 

• Advantagesof the Firewall Implementation.

 

• Network Isolation- The biggest advantage of a firewall implementation is that it effectively isolates the network from external network threats as hackers are eagerly seeking new targets to invade the systems.

 

• Flexible Network- Firewall guards the traffic against the computer’s entry point called ports, where the exchange of information takes place from outside networks. It does allow the data to pass through but it does not entertain the outside probes from the outside, thus, providing a flexible network to operate through, to safely accommodate different network needs.

 

 

 

• Disadvantagesof the Firewall Implementation 

 

• Absence of Malware Protection

 

Though a firewall is capable of blocking any ransom outside threat by external traffic, it cannot protect the system from internally generated viruses or malware. In short, installing a firewall is not enough to secure the trusted network; the need for anti-software persists to protect the network from attacks.

 

• Operational Complexity

 

It is very to set up a firewall network security for a small business that goes a long way without any change but with big organizations, the maintenance is not only costly but also becomes a full-time job. There is always a constant change in the latest technology or in business needs which demands an expert help to keep the network safe and running.

 

• Conclusion

 

In today’s age and time where reliance on the internet has grown manifolds, cybersecurity has become very important and it is one of the biggest needs of the world right now as cyber attacks are increasing and have become a serious threat to the country’s security.

 

The organization needs to implement a strong mechanism to control any possible threats like intrusion detection systems and intrusion prevention systems.

 

It is also very important to be aware of the cybersecurity at an individual level because as humans are humans a little mistake can turn out to be a big mistake. So; it highly needed to stay updated with the latest network security devices to protect our systems from any kind of malware, threat, or virus.

 

Cybersecurity is very important because now a day as Cybercrime is growing day by day.

And it is mandatory to keep our data protected.

 

As a safety measure following some good practices in cybersecurity can be helpful like include 

 

• Treating anyone on the internet with the same skepticism as you would a stranger since that's who they are to you.
• Not giving out your details or information to anyone other than those you trust, or websites that you can verify the legitimacy of.
• Keeping a set of strong passwords to safeguard your online accounts. 
• Keeping an updated anti-malware program installed and running on your computer.

 

So, friends, it is all about cyber security and the challenges that all the biggest companies are facing in today's time.

 

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