4 Different Types of Network Firewalls
Network firewalls are very important in order to protect various types of computer systems from several cyber threats and possible network intrusions. It is very essential to know each type of network firewalls so that you will know the purpose and benefit of each one. This is the reason why in this article, we will introduce you to 4 different types of network firewalls you can effectively use.
1. Packet filtering firewall
Packet filtering firewall is a type of network firewall that basically assess and inspect data packets that are entering a specific router or network switches. This kind of firewall establishes certain criteria or key performance indicators that will be used for filtering the data packets that the network receives. This include but is not limited to the I.P. address, port number, data packet type, and other relevant information.
One thing that you should know is that it can’t view and inspect the contents of the data packet. However, it compares the characteristics of the data packet received based on the criteria that was previously set. If it does not match or anomalous in any possible way, the data packet will not pass the inspection and will automatically be blocked. In this manner, the anomalous network traffic will not be able to pass through. While it is very efficient in processing data packets, it also has certain limitations such as the lack of user authentication as part of the network security process. It is also vulnerable to spoofing attacks. As a matter of fact, the best VPN service providers can easily break through a packet filtering firewall system by modifying and spoofing location through I.P. address alteration.
2. Circuit-Level Gateway Firewall
Circuit-level gateway is a type of network firewall that monitors and assesses the credibility of the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) handshake of the data packet that is trying to pass through. This is a form of network firewall that also checks all forms of network protocol sessions to make sure that they are legitimate. It also verifies whether or not the remote computer system can be trusted or not. However, the circuit-level gateway firewall also has some limitations as they don’t look for the contents of the data packet. It has no capability of knowing what’s inside the data packet.
One of the advantages of this type of firewall is that it basically provides data privacy for everything that passes through the private network regardless if they are inbound or outbound network traffic. It is also easy to implement this type of network platform since it is relatively inexpensive and very affordable to build. On top of that, it is also efficient in processing all forms of network traffic.
However, you should be aware that it lacks content filtering capability. You can only protect individual network sessions rather than protecting a data packet itself. This means that the firewall can easily be bypassed by a hacker with the right TCP handshake even if he or she injected the data packet with a malware. You are not totally protected with this kind of firewall.
3. Stateful Packet Inspection Firewall
Stateful Packet Inspection is a type of network firewall that combines the verification process of the TCP handshake and the process of conducting data packet inspection. Because it has two levels of network protection, it is more powerful than just a packet filtering firewall and more powerful than just a circuit-level gateway firewall. The best aspects of the two types of network firewalls are actually combined in the stateful packet inspection.
This type of network platform constantly inspects data packet by monitoring and assessing both the packet headers and the packet footers, as well as other relevant information about the data packets. It also has the capability of determining whether the data packet is actually part of a valid network session or not. A stateful packet inspection firewall is advantageous due to the fact that it can operate even with limited amount of open ports which relatively reduces the opportunity of hackers to carry out cyberattacks on your network.
It is also very efficient in blocking all sorts of d denial-of-service attacks to your network. It is also somewhat immune to network protocol vulnerabilities. However, you still should know that it has no capability of knowing what’s inside the data packet. On top of that, this type of network firewalls consumes a lot of computer resources.
4. Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) Firewall
Deep packet inspection firewall is somewhat similar to a stateful packet inspection firewall with one major differentiating factor. Unlike a stateful packet inspection firewall, a deep packet inspection firewalls has the capability to see and analyze the contents of a data packet itself.