Internet Protections: Types Of Firewalls And Their Applications (Essay Sample)

Student’s Name Professor’s Name Course Date Firewalls Introduction firewall can be defined as a software or hardware system that protects a computer network from access by unauthorized internet users. They are mostly used for private purposes thus allowing access only to authorized networks linked to the internet ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"2kEp8OuF","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Bellovin and Cheswick)","plainCitation":"(Bellovin and Cheswick)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":448,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/MqS91Xa3/items/92HK9YRB"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/MqS91Xa3/items/92HK9YRB"],"itemData":{"id":448,"type":"article-journal","title":"Network firewalls","container-title":"IEEE communications magazine","page":"50–57","volume":"32","issue":"9","source":"Google Scholar","author":[{"family":"Bellovin","given":"Steven M."},{"family":"Cheswick","given":"William R."}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["1994"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Bellovin and Cheswick 53). The entire process of protecting the information is achieved by enabling data to enter and leave the intranet pass via the firewall. The firewall scrutinizes each packet while blocking the data that does not coincide with the predetermined security criteria. Usually, the firewalls are made in such a way that they guard against unauthenticated collective logins originating from the outside world. Authorization restricts illegal access to the network of your machine. More advanced firewalls bar unwanted users from the outside to gain access to the system, but they grant inside traffic freedom of communication to the outside world. Firewalls are vitally important because they offer a single block outlet where auditing and security can be executed. Firewalls offer a significant auditing and logging functions to the administrator by the provision of summaries of traffic volume or type of data already processed ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"Uz1YTngH","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Desai et al.)","plainCitation":"(Desai et al.)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":452,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/MqS91Xa3/items/DLHZIBCD"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/MqS91Xa3/items/DLHZIBCD"],"itemData":{"id":452,"type":"article-journal","title":"System insecurity–firewalls","container-title":"Information management & computer security","page":"135–139","volume":"10","issue":"3","source":"Google Scholar","author":[{"family":"Desai","given":"Mayur S."},{"family":"Richards","given":"Thomas C."},{"family":"Embse","given":"Thomas","non-dropping-particle":"von der"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2002"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Desai et al. 137). There are several types of firewalls such as packet filters, proxies, stateful inspection among others. This paper constitutes a comprehensive discussion of the kinds of firewalls and their applications, companies that sell firewalls and their various costs. Types of firewalls There are various types of firewalls operating differently depending on distinctive open system interconnection (OSI) model layers. They are chosen basing on nature of security and service needed for the network. The firewalls are modified in a specific manner to protect the computer from hackers. Some of the firewalls applied to a wide range of network security include; Packet filtering. It is a firewall system which controls network accessibility by tracking arriving and outgoing packets and granting passage or stopping basing on the source and destination, ports and internet protocol addresses. Network layer firewall determines the packet filtering set of instructions. This kind of firewall is commonly and easily installed in a small range network ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"Iskm3OLG","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Ranum)","plainCitation":"(Ranum)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":462,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/MqS91Xa3/items/MWEEFSIA"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/MqS91Xa3/items/MWEEFSIA"],"itemData":{"id":462,"type":"paper-conference","title":"Thinking about firewalls","container-title":"Proceedings of Second International Conference on Systems and Network Security and Management (SANS-II)","publisher":"Citeseer","volume":"8","source":"Google Scholar","author":[{"family":"Ranum","given":"Marcus J."}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["1993"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Ranum 100). A router is usually incorporated into the system to function as a firewall, and it primarily inspects the packet going through a given network. In the course of processing every data packet, the router takes into account the internet protocol (IP) addresses of the source, destination, traffic type and port number. In the event of network communication, a packet transmitted by the node is filtered and checked for matching with internal policies and rules before allowing or denying access. If there is matching or similarity, the packet is regarded verified and secure. They also track the source and destination. The main setback in this type of firewall is the router is not capable of checking packet in the application layer thus making this firewall unable to prevent attacks which employ application layers susceptibilities. At the same time, they fail to protect the network against phishing attacks. However, they are mostly used when higher speed network is needed, limited authentication capacity and limited logins ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"acGeCQ5S","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Oppliger)","plainCitation":"(Oppliger)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":472,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/MqS91Xa3/items/JCUGMX5A"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/MqS91Xa3/items/JCUGMX5A"],"itemData":{"id":472,"type":"article-journal","title":"Internet security: firewalls and beyond","container-title":"Communications of the ACM","page":"92–102","volume":"40","issue":"5","source":"Google Scholar","shortTitle":"Internet security","author":[{"family":"Oppliger","given":"Rolf"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["1997"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Oppliger 98). The firewall technique is also cheap and suitable for smaller systems. Some of the ways that this technique can be substantially applied include; filtering barring or blacklisting particular hosts, granting access to specific users including business associates, plus implementation of inlet and outlet filters. Stateful inspection. It is the technological firewall which checks the active state of connections and using the information to ascertain the network packet to grant firewall pass. This kind of firewalls operates in the OSI model at the network layer. It plays an essential role in monitoring both contents and header of the traffic. The fact that it inspects both packet headers and packet state with the provision of proxy services makes it different from the packet filtering firewalls. This firewall sustains a set of instructions and state table to examine every packet and encode the information basing on the kind of traffic. The stateful inspection also checks each transmission control protocol (TCP) connection putting into account the ports involved in the context ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"XYY45p6p","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Cheswick et al.)","plainCitation":"(Cheswick et al.)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":449,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/MqS91Xa3/items/QJ8K9U9F"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/MqS91Xa3/items/QJ8K9U9F"],"itemData":{"id":449,"type":"book","title":"Firewalls and Internet security: repelling the wily hacker","publisher":"Addison-Wesley Longman Publishing Co., Inc.","source":"Google Scholar","shortTitle":"Firewalls and Internet security","author":[{"family":"Cheswick","given":"William R."},{"family":"Bellovin","given":"Steven M."},{"family":"Rubin","given":"Aviel D."}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2003"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Cheswick et al. 125). In a distinctive network, ports are only opened when an entering packet calls for a link to a particular port. Therefore, the firewall protects the network by allowing only specific connections that configures with the active network connections to pass through the firewall. The system avoids port scanning-prominent hacking technique. It is mostly used in business networks. Application-Level Gateway(ALG). Also referred to as application proxy. It runs in the OSI model application layer, and it actively scrutinizes packets contents that are forwarded to the gateway. An application level gateway serves as the intermediary set up between the internet and the server which comprehends the essential application protocol ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"RptTno76","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Bellovin and Cheswick)","plainCitation":"(Bellovin and Cheswick)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":448,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/MqS91Xa3/items/92HK9YRB"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/MqS91Xa3/items/92HK9YRB"],"itemData":{"id":448,"type":"article-journal","title":"Network firewalls","container-title":"IEEE communications magazine","page":"50–57","volume":"32","issue":"9","source":"Google Scholar","author":[{"family":"Bellovin","given":"Steven M."},{"family":"Cheswick","given":"William R."}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["1994"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Bellovin and Cheswick 54). The firewall selectively chooses whether to forward or discard the packet depending on the application information contained in the pa...