Category: business firewall

Posted on December 12, 2024 by DA Gadgets

Why Router vs Firewall Really Only Matters at Work

Routers and firewalls are network security devices, sometimes grouped into business and home network packages or sold separately as dedicated hardware.

Though the two are closely linked, routers and firewalls are very different devices.

Router: Exchanges data between networks or gateways.
Firewall: Blocks traffic from protected networks.

Put simply, routers connect networks and move data efficiently, while firewalls protect networks by controlling and securing the flow of data.

For home networks, most people already have a router with a built-in firewall. Under normal circumstances, they don’t need to get an extra firewall to keep their network safe.

Businesses, on the other hand, typically have more than one router and benefit from having a discrete firewall device or application. Thoughtful deployment of both elements is an important part of securing a business network.

1 CloudTalk

Company Size

Any Company Size Any Company Size

Features

24/7 Customer Support, Call Management/Monitoring, Contact Center, and more

Key differences between routers and firewalls

Here is a quick breakdown of the key differences between routers and firewalls:

Network Role: Routers and firewalls serve different purposes in a network. A router connects networks and ensures data travels efficiently between them, like a VoIP router for voice traffic. A firewall, on the other hand, is like a security checkpoint, inspecting and filtering data to block potential threats.

Traffic Management: Routers focus on directing traffic based on IP addresses, determining the best path for data to reach its destination. Firewalls control traffic by applying security rules, deciding what data is allowed to pass through or be blocked based on factors like source, destination, and content.

Default Behavior: By default, routers allow all data to pass unless specific restrictions are added. Firewalls take the opposite approach: they block most traffic unless explicitly allowed, prioritizing security over openness.

Placement: Routers are typically positioned at the edge of the network to connect it to the internet or other networks. Firewalls can be placed at the edge or internally within the network to control access between segments, adding extra layers of protection.

Customization and Control: Firewalls are built for granular control, letting you enforce security policies based on specific applications, users, or behaviors. Routers, while configurable, prioritize speed and efficiency over detailed filtering.

Why router vs firewall doesn’t matter on a home network

Most routers have a built-in firewall that offers basic protection for homes and very small offices. Typically it is a stateful firewall capable of inspecting traffic flows and performing basic perimeter security.

Because the router already has a firewall installed, the average home network does not need a separate or additional firewall. These simple networks tend to have a handful of devices connected to a single router, and the integrated firewall is enough to keep the network safe from unwanted traffic and prevent unauthorized users from gaining access to the network.

On top of this, modern devices have built-in firewalls of their own. Windows Defender and Android Firewall are two common examples.

From the moment your ISP turns on the internet at your house, every device connected to the router is already shielded from the public internet by multiple firewalls.

If you are doing something out of the ordinary at home — like running a business with sensitive information or hosting a game server — more advanced software or hardware firewall protections will be important to set up.

People with a lot of IoT (Internet of Things) devices on a home network might also consider additional firewall protections as one of the ways to reduce IoT attack surface.

But outside the edge-cases, you really don’t have to compare router versus firewall at all — you probably have both already.

Why router vs firewall matters a lot for business

On business networks, tons of devices are logging in and out constantly, using cloud applications and potentially connecting to offices at other locations over a Wide Area Network (WAN).

Unlike simple home networks, business networks have multiple routers (and a host of other elements) that connect physical and virtual resources to users. Routers play a key role in setting up an effective network security architecture, and while they may have built-in firewall functionality, businesses most often have dedicated hardware and/or software firewalls.

Organizations need to protect their connected devices from virus and malware threats, but also from sophisticated security concerns that would never impact a home network.

Business-grade firewalls offer granular control over the traffic, which means that managers can regulate access separately for different users and applications. This is important when you have protected resources on the network that you need to make available to the public, remote workers, or third-parties.

This access control is centralized in a business’s firewall security policy, which a network manager can view and control. Many businesses also deal with payment information flowing in and out of their networks, either for customer purchases or employee salaries, so their systems are required to be HIPAA and PCI-DSS-compliant — which isn’t always possible with consumer-grade firewall tech.

Businesses have other considerations as well, such as whether their routers or firewalls should be placed at the network edge. Edge routers are typically used to give access to remote workers so they can connect to the corporate network. In fact, the terms “edge routers” and “firewalls” are often used interchangeably to describe a network security device that protects the LAN from a point “between” networks.

Can a router and firewall be on the same device?

Certain software-defined networks and routers come equipped with software firewalls already installed. Some businesses prefer this because of the simplicity of having the two integrated. It just doesn’t make much sense to have multiple devices that need to be configured and managed separately, especially when each comes with its own potential setbacks.

Yet, for some businesses, the added labor is worth it to keep the devices separate. For instance, when all a router needs to do is route traffic to intended destinations, it will have a lot more resources to spare than if it were simultaneously doubling as the network’s firewall.

Likewise, if your network starts hiccupping, the single router-firewall device may not know how to share the limited network resources most efficiently. Depending on the unique network conditions, this can lead to dropped VoIP calls, laggy video conferences, or even security risks.

Finally, having a dedicated firewall allows you to be much more specific as to what you’d like that firewall to do — and how you’d like it to do it. Most businesses use both stateless and stateful firewalls and need a high degree of configurability over firewall rules.

Posted on December 10, 2024 by DA Gadgets

What Is a Host Based Firewall and Is it Secure Enough?

A host-based firewall is installed and run on a single device, like a laptop, cell phone, or server. These firewalls are tailored to individual devices so they can monitor and control its specific traffic — as opposed to network-based firewalls, which protect an entire network of devices.

Most consumer devices come with host-based firewalls pre-installed. If you use an HP laptop or an iPhone, you’re already protected by host-based firewalls. Microsoft and Apple provide their own versions of these firewalls and frequently update them to address new cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities.

Aside from your personal phone and computer, host-based firewalls also play a critical role when it comes to business cybersecurity. Host-based firewalls play a vital role in securing individual endpoints. This level of protection is critical as business networks increasingly accommodate remote workers and cloud applications.

I’ll start with the consumer end of host-based firewalls, and then we’ll cover what businesses need to know about this incredibly important network security tool.

1 CloudTalk

Company Size

Any Company Size Any Company Size

Features

24/7 Customer Support, Call Management/Monitoring, Contact Center, and more

What consumers get with a host-based firewall

As a consumer, the host-based firewall on your phone or laptop gives you a vital default level of protection on your personal devices. Since you probably use your devices for things like banking, investing, and storing important personal info, this built-in protection is crucial.

Host-based firewalls typically come pre-installed, and they’re already designed to guard against a range of common cyber threats. If you’re reading this on a device running Windows or Apple software, you’re probably using a host-based firewall right now.

But how exactly do these firewalls work? Primarily, it comes down to regulating network traffic based on predetermined firewall rules and deciding which applications or services on your device can access the internet and which external sources can connect to your device.

In other words, you can think of host-based firewalls as the “gatekeeper” to your device.

So if you have one of these firewalls installed and go to use an application that requires internet access, like a web browser, the firewall will evaluate this request against its set of rules.

If the application is recognized as safe and allowed internet access under these rules, the firewall permits the connection. But if an unknown program attempts to send data from your laptop to an external server, the firewall can block this outgoing traffic, preventing potential data theft or other malicious activities.

Similarly, if unsolicited traffic tries to access your device from the internet—say, a hacking attempt targeting vulnerable ports on your laptop—the firewall can deny this connection, keeping your device secure.

This ongoing monitoring and regulation of incoming and outgoing traffic, based on established security rules, is how host-based firewalls actively protect your devices from a variety of cyber threats.

That said, while host-based firewalls are effective at managing traffic and blocking unsolicited connections, they may not be as equipped to handle more advanced threats like phishing attacks or malware that a user might unknowingly download.

For consumers using home networks or connecting to public Wi-Fi in places like airports, a host-based firewall provides a necessary security measure. It’s your first line of defense, particularly in public settings where network security is uncertain.

But relying solely on your host-based firewall isn’t recommended; it should be part of a broader security approach that includes antimalware software and following online safety basics.

What businesses need from a host-based firewall

In a corporate environment, host-based firewalls need to do more heavy lifting beyond basic traffic filtering. They should provide advanced security features to make sure you’re protected against sophisticated cyber threats.

Advanced functionality

If you’re using a host-based firewall in a business setting, it should use advanced features like deep packet inspection and intrusion prevention systems.

Deep packet inspection (DPI) essentially delves into the contents of the data packets traversing your network. This means that not only are the headers of packets scrutinized, but so is their payload – the actual data being transmitted.

For example, DPI can uncover a seemingly harmless email attachment carrying hidden malware, allowing the firewall to block it before it compromises the network. To borrow an analogy from a physical package, it’s akin to checking not just the address on a package but also carefully inspecting its contents.

Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS), on the other hand, are basically sentinels or watchmen for your network. They’re constantly monitoring network traffic, looking for patterns or activities indicative of a cyberattack.

Suppose an IPS detects an unusual number of requests to a particular server within the network, resembling a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack. If that’s the case, it can immediately take action to block this traffic, often before users even notice any disruption.

Behavioral analytics and anomaly detection enable firewalls to learn what “normal” device behavior looks like and detect deviations that might indicate a security threat.

For example, if an employee’s laptop suddenly starts transmitting large amounts of encrypted data at unusual hours, a host-based firewall can identify this as anomalous behavior and alert the security team or block the activity automatically.

Application-level control refers to the ability to manage and enforce firewall rules based on specific applications within network traffic.

For example, a firewall could allow access to a specific application like Slack for communication while blocking unauthorized file-sharing apps that pose a security risk.

Centralized management

Effective host-based firewalls should offer centralized management for businesses to easily monitor and configure devices at scale. Features like role-based access controls and automated updates ensure that IT teams can maintain security without manual oversight on every device.

This is particularly valuable for organizations with a distributed workforce, as they can scale protection without compromising efficiency. Learn more about best practices for firewall management.

Integration with broader security frameworks

A host-based firewall must integrate seamlessly with other network security software, such as endpoint detection and response (EDR) systems. This ensures that all layers of the security architecture communicate effectively, enabling quick threat detection and coordinated responses.

Endpoint protection

Businesses often deploy host-based firewalls on endpoints like laptops, desktops, and mobile devices, which are critical for remote and hybrid workforces. These firewalls offer device-specific security, preventing threats even when employees connect through unsecured networks.

For example, a remote employee working from a café with public Wi-Fi remains protected from threats such as unauthorized access or data interception. Additionally, firewalls can be tailored to specific device usage, like safeguarding graphic designers who frequently transfer large files.

In industries that rely heavily on Internet of Things (IoT) devices (e.g., manufacturing, healthcare, smart cities), host-based firewalls are used to protect these devices from cyber threats. IoT devices are a common target for hackers, due to their connectivity and often limited security features. Host-based firewalls can be installed to prevent IoT devices from connecting to other devices outside the network.

Do you always need a host-based firewall?

If your business already has a robust IT security framework — network firewalls, endpoint detection and response (EDR) systems, and other advanced security measures — you may wonder: is a host-based firewall still necessary?

I say yes, one hundred percent.

First of all, why not? What’s the downside to running a simple host-based firewall on every device connected to your network?

A comprehensive IT security policy benefits from multiple layers of protection, and a host-based firewall is one of the most effective layers to secure individual devices, particularly when they are used outside your corporate network.

While EDR systems and antimalware software are crucial for detecting threats and blocking malicious activity, a host-based firewall provides the first line of defense by monitoring device-specific traffic.

Even with a secure network perimeter, devices are vulnerable to attacks when employees work remotely or use unsecured public networks. Host-based firewalls offer device-level security by filtering incoming and outgoing traffic specific to that device. For instance, when an employee connects to a public Wi-Fi network, the host-based firewall ensures the device remains protected from attacks such as data interception or unauthorized access.

Remote work security has been one of the biggest challenges for many organizations. A host-based firewall is a simple solution to offer basic protections to employee devices, regardless of where they are.

Posted on December 7, 2024 by DA Gadgets

5 Reasons to Use a Stateless Firewall (+3 Key Downsides)

In networking, “state” refers to the context or session data of a current network connection. A stateful firewall, therefore, keeps track of the state of each connection passing through it, while a stateless firewall does not.

Although they may sound less restrictive, stateless firewalls are incredibly useful for securing home and business networks. They use ACLs (Access Control Lists) to determine which traffic to allow through and which traffic to block.

Of course, not tracking the state of network connections means that stateless firewalls can’t tell you as much about the traffic on your network as stateful firewalls. The benefits of stateless firewalls come with tradeoffs.

Businesses often balance these trade-offs by using both types in tandem, with stateless firewalls handling bulk traffic filtering at the perimeter and stateful firewalls offering deeper inspection behind them.

By the end of this post, you’ll know when stateless firewalls work really well, and when another solution might work much better.

1 CloudTalk

Company Size

Any Company Size Any Company Size

Features

24/7 Customer Support, Call Management/Monitoring, Contact Center, and more

Five reasons to use a stateless firewall

1. They’re efficient

The biggest advantage of using a stateless firewall is efficiency. Since they only check for individual packets (rather than tracking the state of connections like their bulky stateful counterparts), stateless firewalls are like lean, mean, security machines.

This makes them far more useful when handling high volumes of traffic. For instance, since they don’t have to keep up with the specific details of every connection passing through, stateless firewalls won’t chew up as much memory and processing power.

If you’re running a large-scale website that receives tons of traffic, for example, you won’t want your firewall to slow things down. With a stateless firewall, you can set up strong network security protections without jeopardizing a website’s performance.

SEE: Avoid these mistakes when configuring network security.

2. Stateless firewalls are simple to set up and maintain

Setting up a stateless firewall is a breeze compared to stateful firewalls.

Stateful firewalls dynamically maintain state tables to track ongoing connections, ensuring traffic flows are legitimate by monitoring session information.

In contrast, stateless firewalls rely on a fixed set of filtering rules, such as allowing or blocking packets based on IP addresses, ports, or protocols. This makes stateless firewalls simpler to configure and less resource-intensive, though it also makes them less adaptable to dynamic or context-dependent traffic than stateful firewalls.

3. Stateless excels on the network perimeter

Stateless firewalls are often used as a first line of defense in network security due to their simplicity and effectiveness at blocking unwanted traffic.

They are particularly useful in scenarios where only basic access control is needed, such as filtering traffic between trusted and untrusted networks. This protects specific services from common attacks like port scans, denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, or VoIP fraud.

While they may not offer the deep inspection or session awareness of stateful firewalls, they can serve as an effective initial barrier, reducing the load on more advanced systems by blocking simple, high-volume threats before they reach more sensitive parts of the network.

4. They’re inherently less vulnerable

Stateless firewalls don’t keep track of past traffic or active connections, which makes them less prone to certain types of attacks that target the firewall’s memory or stored data.

Instead, stateless firewalls simply compare incoming packets to their pre-defined “allow” and “deny” rules, ensuring that traffic is only allowed into the network if it meets specific criteria. This straightforward approach ensures that only authorized traffic enters the network.

Since they don’t need to manage the details of each connection, stateless firewalls avoid some of the vulnerabilities that can arise when a firewall tries to remember everything, like becoming overloaded during different types of DDoS attacks, where attackers flood the system with too many requests.

Stateful firewalls offer deeper inspection and more thorough security, but that introduces additional complexity, which can be exploited by attackers. Stateless firewalls, with their simpler design, avoid this risk altogether.

5. Stateless firewalls are cost-effective and affordable

Because they don’t require the advanced features of stateful firewalls, such as session tracking or deep packet inspection, their hardware and maintenance costs are significantly lower. This makes them an accessible choice for organizations with limited IT budgets or smaller networks.

Stateful firewalls are more expensive due to their advanced features, such as integrated intrusion detection and prevention systems. These firewalls also require more processing power, memory, and specialized hardware to manage real-time traffic analysis and maintain security.

Key downsides of a stateless firewall

While stateless firewalls have their advantages, they also come with some downsides.

1. Minimal packet inspection capabilities

Since it doesn’t keep track of connections, a stateless firewall won’t maintain a table of all the previous connections that have gone through the firewall. This makes it faster and easier to handle high volumes of traffic, but it comes with minimal packet inspection capabilities.

For example, stateless firewalls can only inspect individual packets based on headers and protocols, meaning they cannot look at the contents of the packets themselves. This makes them less effective at detecting and preventing more sophisticated attacks that can bypass simple packet inspection, such as ones that use encrypted traffic.

Moreover, due to the lack of connection tracking, a stateless firewall cannot always distinguish between legitimate and malicious traffic. This can result in unnecessary blockages of legitimate traffic, which can disrupt business operations. It also makes it more difficult to modify the firewall, as stateless firewalls cannot recognize connection states — so they can’t allow and deny traffic dynamically based on them. Learn more about how stateful inspection works.

2. Harder to scale

One of the biggest downsides to stateless firewalls is that they can be an absolute nightmare to scale in certain scenarios.

The problem lies in the fact that a stateless firewall only examines individual packets to determine whether to allow or deny them. This means that, as the number of connections to your network increases, so does the number of rules in your firewall. Therefore, when your network has a high volume of traffic, it can be extremely difficult to manage and maintain.

Unfortunately, with stateless firewalls, you need to create manual rules for each kind of packet that travels through the network. This can lead to a situation where there are simply too many rules to manage — which can lead to network performance issues, security flaws, and massive administrative overheads. Learn more about how to create a firewall policy that works for your network.

3. Initial configuration to work properly

Although stateless firewalls are a breeze to set up compared to stateful firewalls, the process isn’t exactly the easiest.

Stateless firewalls can require a fair bit of initial configuration to work properly. For instance, since they don’t maintain connection states, they must rely on other factors—such as IP addresses and port numbers—to determine whether or not incoming packets are allowed into the network.

This means that, in addition to the aforementioned filtering rules, some additional settings require careful configuration to ensure that legitimate traffic is allowed through while malicious traffic is blocked. Learn more about how to set up a firewall properly.