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Buyer's Guide | Next Generation Firewall

Table of Contents

1. The Cyber Security Landscape Is Shifting
2. Firewall Defined
3. The "Next Generation Firewall" Becomes the "Network Firewall"
4. Network Firewall Mandatory Capabilities
5. Security Management
6. Threat Prevention
7. Application Inspection and Control
8. Identity-Based Inspection and Control
9. Hybrid Cloud Support
10. Scalable Performance
11. Encrypted Traffic Inspection
12. Autonomous Threat Prevention
13. Security Automation
14. IoT and OT Security
15. Summary and Next Steps
16. Appendix

The Cyber Security Landscape Is Shifting

The world as we know it has changed, and so has business. Companies around the globe are looking for ways to connect reliably, scale rapidly, and protect a mobile workforce. These changes are causing more organizations to shift toward cloud-hybrid environments, adding complexities to existing cyber security measures.

A 2023 IDC report confirmed that as data centers and enterprises are adapting a cloud-hybrid model, security remains a concern, with 56% of IaaS environments reporting one or more major breaches in the last two years. This is tied to the overall rise in cyber attacks, which noted a staggering 74% increase in attacks in the healthcare industry.

TYPES OF FIREWALLS

• Packet Filtering: Data is blocked or permitted based on a small amount of information in the header of each packet.
• Proxy Service: Network security system that protects while filtering messages at the application layer.
• Stateful Inspection: Dynamic packet filtering that monitors active connections to determine which network packets to allow through the Firewall.
• Next Generation Firewall (NGFW): Deep packet inspection Firewall with application level inspection.
• AI-Powered Firewalls: Ability to block evasive zero-day threats that do not yet have known signatures.

Firewall Defined

A Firewall is a network security device that monitors incoming and outgoing network traffic. A Firewall enforces an organization’s security policy by filtering network traffic. At its most basic level, a Firewall is essentially the boundary or barrier between two networks to identify threats in incoming traffic and blocks specific traffic flagged by a defined set of security rules.

WHAT DO THEY DO?

A Firewall is a necessary part of any security architecture, enforcing zero trust least privileged access for IoT devices, users, groups, applications, and systems. Firewalls also utilize dynamic routing protocols to route traffic and can serve as virtual private network (VPN) termination points for site-to-site and client-to-site infrastructure. The primary job of firewalls is threat prevention, focusing on blocking malware and application-layer attacks.

NETWORK SEGMENTATION

Network segmentation defines boundaries between network segments where assets within the group have a common function. Organizations can define additional internal boundaries to provide improved security and access control.

ACCESS CONTROL

Access control defines the people or groups and devices authorized to access network applications and systems, usually leveraging Identity and Access Management (IAM) products.

ZERO TRUST NETWORKS

The zero trust security model states that users should only have access and permissions necessary for their roles. This is vastly different from traditional perimeter-focused security models, focusing instead on a micro-segmented approach.

ENCRYPTED TRAFFIC INSPECTION

Most web traffic is encrypted, often with TLS encryption. Therefore, firewalls must be capable of inspecting this traffic to apply policy controls and prevent threats.

AUTONOMOUS THREAT PREVENTION

Threat detection and prevention technology require interconnected components. Infrastructure processes should be automated to improve threat response times.

SECURITY AUTOMATION

Network security can integrate with other enterprise infrastructure components, such as communication equipment and databases, to create dynamic user-based security policies.

Summary and Next Steps

As internet traffic continues to grow each year, cyber-attacks are becoming more sophisticated and harder to detect. It should be clear that next-generation firewalls are much more than enforcement points for network traffic policies; they are security gateways that incorporate multi-dimensional threat prevention. When selecting an enterprise firewall vendor, consider:

• How to weigh the importance of each capability.
• Possible elimination of other tools and devices when deploying enterprise firewalls broadly.
• Your approach to scaling performance in response to increased traffic and threats.

Appendix: WHY DO YOU NEED FIREWALLS?

Prevention is key for any network, including defense against malware, ransomware, and intrusion attacks. Firewalls are crucial for compliance regimens to protect data and thwart unauthorized access.