Different Types of Firewalls: Which is Right for You?
We live in an interconnected digital world, and unfortunately, ever-increasing numbers of cyberattacks disrupt private communications and steal sensitive information.
Therefore, the reliance on cybersecurity measures has been prevalent in recent years, and this is where firewalls come into play.
Firewalls have been used for years as the first line of defense against unauthorized access, data breaches, and other types of cyberattacks targeting private networks.
Being a proven tool to monitor all incoming and outgoing traffic, firewalls detect any potential suspicious activities on the network, allowing only authorized data packets to pass through. By doing so, firewalls protect a private network from the unknown dangers of the Internet.
4 Types of Firewalls Explained
In this article, we will see what different types of firewalls are available, and see what different approaches they offer. Understanding these different types of firewalls will enable you to make an informed choice for your business needs.
1) Packet Filtering Firewalls: The First Line of Defense
Packet-filtering firewalls form the foundation of network security, and they operate at the network layer of the OSI model. This type of firewall scrutinizes data packets during transmission and works based on pre-determined criteria by the admins to decide whether it will allow or deny the data packs.
Whenever a data packet tries to enter the network protected by a packet-filtering firewall, it examines the source and destination IP addresses, ports, and protocols of the data packet first.
Then, it compares this information with the existing rule set to whether to allow or deny the data package. This approach is great to handle large packets of data efficiently.
Packet filtering firewalls do have limitations. They usually fail to consider the context of the entire communication and only focus on individual data packets, leading to attacks that target application vulnerabilities. Additionally, having complex rulesets can lead to security gaps and configuration errors.
2) Stateful Inspection Firewalls: A Deeper Look
Stateful inspection firewalls are a step forward to classic packet-filtering firewalls. While they operate on the same layer of the OSI model, they bring context awareness and added security.
Unlike packet filtering, stateful inspection firewalls keep a record of the active connection and analyze the entire communication session instead of individual data packets. Considering the full context enables this type of firewall to make better decisions when enabling communications.
These firewalls are much better than packet-filtering firewalls at preventing complex attacks, but they still have limitations as they may not be able fully inspect encrypted data packets. But in general, stateful inspection firewalls ensure only legitimate data packets go through a private network.
3) Proxy Firewalls: The Intermediary Shield
The main focus of Proxy firewalls is to set a shield between an internal network and the vast external network, serving as an intermediary. When a user wants to access a piece of data on the Internet, it first goes to Proxy firewalls where it evaluates whether it is from a trusted source or not.
By preventing direct communication between the user and the Internet, Proxy firewalls enhance security and protect internal networks from malicious content.
One of the best advantages of Proxy firewalls is their ability to hide the true IP addresses of end-users, thus increasing online anonymity and privacy. It also makes it challenging for attackers to identify user devices and target them for cyberattacks.
Furthermore, Proxy firewalls can enable content-filtering and application-level restrictions, allowing network administrators to categorize content and prevent access to malicious links and websites on the Internet.
However, due to these advanced features, Proxy firewalls may cause some network latency which deteriorates user experience.
4) Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFWs): The Advanced Protector
The next firewall type we’ll talk about is next-generation firewalls (NGFWs). These advanced tools go beyond the functionalities of all the other traditional firewalls we know of and come up with new ways to protect the network against a plethora of cyberattacks.
At the core, they use deep packet inspection (DPI) to evaluate every piece of data coming into networks and prevent any type of malware attack, malicious code, and other cyber threats.
Unlike traditional firewalls that only consider IP addresses and ports, NGFWs can recognize specific applications traveling across the network. This added awareness allows network admins to set application category rules and maximize internet access security.
NGFWs also work together with intrusion prevention systems (IPS), taking a step further from their counterparts by providing real-time detection and response to threats. By taking a proactive approach, next-gen firewalls minimize any threat before they have a chance to exploit the vulnerabilities.
How to Choose the Right Firewall for Your Needs
Selecting the proper type of firewall for your business needs is highly important to have the best functionality in your private network. You need to consider several factors when making this selection, and here are a few of them.
Security Requirements
Begin by evaluating your security requirements. Check the type of data you need to protect, the sensitivity level, and all the threats you may face in your private network. This evaluation will let you know whether you can get away with traditional firewall types, or if you need advanced security provided by NGFWs.
Scalability
Consider the future of your organization by evaluating the need for scalability in the future. Look for firewall solutions that can scale up as you grow and get more users and improve your network. Make sure while scaling your firewall solution can keep up with the pace and performance is as better as before.
Budget
Consider the best option for your budget when evaluating different types of firewalls. For example, smaller organizations usually go for software firewall solutions as they only pay for the subscription fee, but hardware firewalls may be more cost-effective in the long run for larger organizations.
Vendor Reputation and Support
Research your vendor in-depth to see if they have a good reputation in the market and check if they provide customer support. Ideally, you would want 7/24 customer support by experts if possible, especially if you don’t have an in-house team.
Compliance Requirements
If your organization needs to abide by certain security regulations, make sure the firewall of your choice also adheres to these requirements. Remember, compliance not only involves your organization but also the tools and applications you use.
Conclusion: Securing Your Cyber Environment with the Right Firewall
Firewalls have proved themselves as one of the best ways to secure a private network from the outside threats of the vast world of the Internet.
The important thing to remember here is that there are several types of firewalls varying in terms of costs, functionalities, and the ideal size of the network.
In order to get the best buck for your money, you need to evaluate these different types of firewalls based on your business and security needs, consider your budget and the need for scalability, and finally check the reputation and compliance status of the vendor before making the final decision.
