How Does a Firewall Protect a Network From Attacks? An In-Depth Look

Network firewalls have become an essential component of an organization‘s cybersecurity strategy as the threat landscape continues to grow more dangerous by the day. But how exactly do these critical tools provide protection against attacks? As a cybersecurity analyst and firewall expert, let me give you an in-depth look at how firewalls safeguard infrastructure and data.

An Introduction to Network Firewalls

First, let‘s start with a quick intro for anyone unfamiliar with the technology. A network firewall is a hardware or software system that monitors incoming and outgoing network traffic based on a set of security rules. It acts as a barrier between your internal network and external networks, filtering out malicious traffic.

Firewalls work by examining the characteristics of network packets like IP addresses, protocols, and ports. Based on configured rules, the firewall will either allow or block the packets. For example, you can set a rule to only allow SSH connections on port 22 from a certain range of IP addresses.

There are a few different types of network firewalls:

• Packet filtering firewalls – Analyze packets individually without looking at the full communication session.

• Stateful inspection firewalls – Monitor TCP connections and allow packets belonging to approved active sessions. More secure than simple packet filtering.

• Application layer firewalls – Check application-level data within packets to block attacks that target applications specifically.

• Next-generation firewalls (NGFWs) – Include capabilities like deep packet inspection, intrusion prevention, and intelligence gathering. The most advanced type.

Now that you know the basics, let‘s explore more about how firewalls provide critical protection.

Key Differences from Web Application Firewalls

While network firewalls secure at the network layer, web application firewalls (WAFs) specifically protect web apps at the application layer. Here are some key ways they differ:

• Focus – Network firewalls take a broader approach to securing all network traffic. WAFs only focus on web apps.

• Protection – Network firewalls shield against network-based attacks. WAFs guard against web app-specific attacks like SQLi, XSS, etc.

• Placement – Network firewalls are placed at the network edge. WAFs are deployed in front of web apps.

• Algorithms – Network firewalls use packet filtering, proxy, stateful inspection. WAFs utilize anomaly detection, heuristics, and signatures.

So in essence, network firewalls provide generalized infrastructure protection while WAFs give specialized protection for web applications only.

Analyzing and Blocking Threats in Real-Time

When external traffic attempts to enter your protected infrastructure, the network firewall inspects it to determine if it should be allowed through or blocked.

Here is how this analysis and filtering happens:

1. Internet traffic hits your network perimeter from various sources.

2. The firewall starts analyzing the connection attempt against its configured security policies.

3. If the traffic matches firewall rules, it is considered authorized and allowed into the network.

4. Any malicious traffic that violates the firewall ruleset is instantly blocked before it can infiltrate the infrastructure.

5. This real-time inspection occurs continuously as incoming and outgoing connections are initiated.

This system of proactively identifying and filtering threats is how the firewall provides a robust first line of defense. It reacts in real-time to shield your infrastructure.

Internal Firewalls Critical Too

While firewalls are commonly deployed at the external network perimeter, it‘s important to note they can also be implemented internally to protect sensitive systems.

Cybersecurity statistics show that 34% of data breaches originate from internal actors. So merely securing the external perimeter is not enough. Having layered internal firewalls between departments and critical systems provides added protection.

Some key internal firewall use cases include:

• Placing firewalls between departments to limit access.

• Shielding financial systems from the rest of the network.

• Protecting customer data from unauthorized internal access.

• Securing intellectual property like code repositories.

Tips for Maximizing Firewall Effectiveness

Here are some expert tips to help you optimize your network firewall protection:

Regularly review firewall coverage – As your network changes, ensure your firewalls are still protecting all critical systems and segments. Identify any gaps or new vulnerabilities that may have emerged.

Monitor connected devices – With BYOD and IoT devices expanding networks, enforce firewall protection for these endpoint devices. Lack of firewalls on devices can compromise security.

Isolate payment systems – Ringfence payment systems with firewalls separating them from other networks and the Internet. Only allow essential access in and out.

Allow minimum necessary access – When defining firewall rules for payment systems, permit only the bare minimum protocols and traffic required for functionality. Restrict all else.

Patch and update – Ensure you are always running the latest firewall firmware and software to close vulnerabilities patched in updates. Out-of-date firewalls can‘t protect effectively against new attack methods.

Leading Next-Generation Firewall Solutions

Now let‘s examine some of the top next-generation firewall (NGFW) solutions on the market that can protect modern hybrid network environments with advanced threat intelligence:

Google Cloud Firewall

• Leverages Google‘s leading threat intelligence capabilities
• Implied default rules and priority-based policy stacking
• Limited to basic IPv4 traffic filtering only

Barracuda CloudGen Firewall

• Robust security protections like IPS, antivirus, sandboxing
• Application-based visibility and control over traffic
• DDoS protection and emerging threat blocking

Check Point CloudGuard Network Security

• Prevents zero-day malware with dynamic sandbox analysis
• Unified management framework across hybrid infrastructure
• AI-based threat prevention and auto-policy generation

Zscaler Cloud Firewall

• Delivered as easily scalable firewall-as-a-service
• Granular user and application-centric access policies
• Real-time logging with advanced analytics and dashboards

SonicWall Firewalls

• Capture advanced threat protection and gateway anti-malware
• Intuitive centralized management console
• Flexible options like content filtering, VPN, SD-WAN

Sophos XG Firewall

• Synchronized security across endpoints and firewalls
• Isolation of compromised systems and lateral movement prevention
• High performance with deep packet inspection capabilities

Cisco Firepower NGFW

• Effective against fileless malware and multi-stage threats
• Automated visibility into encrypted traffic using SSL decryption
• Tight integration with Cisco SecureX for unified visibility and control

Fortinet FortiGate Firewalls

• Leverages artificial intelligence for dynamic real-time analysis
• Delivers high performance via custom security processors (SPUs)
• Flexible form factors for data center, edge, cloud, and hybrid deployments

As you can see, NGFWs utilize the latest techniques like AI, advanced threat intelligence, and unified management to provide adaptive and automated security across the entire attack surface.

The Key Role of Firewalls in Network Protection

Network firewalls have become a fundamental component of infrastructure security with cyberattacks growing more frequent and devastating by the day. By proactively monitoring and filtering traffic, firewalls provide a critical barrier protecting networks and data from constantly evolving threats both outside and inside the perimeter.

Leveraging robust next-generation firewall technology tailored to your organization‘s requirements enables strengthening your security posture against sophisticated cyber risks. With advanced threat intelligence and unified control, modern firewalls adapt in real-time to address vulnerabilities across hybrid environments.

I hope this guide has helped you better understand the critical protection firewalls provide for infrastructure security! Please feel free to reach out if you have any other firewall-related questions.