Network Firewall Security Management Software

Network firewall security is an important factor for any organization's security framework. Specifically, a firewall is a network security system that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined rules set by IT admins. This allows a firewall to establish a secure barrier between a trusted internal network and untrusted external network, such as a local area network (LAN) and the Internet. In more simple terms, firewalls are systems designed to safeguard computers by defending the front lines of a network. Network firewall security is an area of overall network management for IT admins, who are tasked with ensuring that firewall configuration and deployment is sufficient to protect the internal network, business data, and end users.

Firewalls can be either a software- or hardware-based system. Both forms of firewall are considered endpoint protection technology. Typically, hardware firewalls are released as standalone products for corporate use, although they can often come as a built-in component in a router, switch, access point, or other networking device. Hardware firewalls typically feature a number of network ports to allow connections to multiple systems. For larger networks, more expansive network firewall security software is required since there are more devices communicating on the network.

Firewall security software, on the other hand, is installed on a computer or provided off-the-shelf within an operating system or network device. Software firewalls allow IT admins to customize settings to some extent although they generally offer a smaller level of control over functions and protection features. A software firewall can protect a system from standard control and unauthorized access attempts but can have trouble with more sophisticated network breaches.

Firewalls filter network traffic so computers only receive the data they request and avoid unwanted connections. To fully grasp this, it's important to understand how Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) packets work. 

When computers send and receive data over the internet or on an internal network, they communicate via TCP packets. These packets contain information like source and destination addresses, packet sequence information, and payload data. And because TCP packets carry a lot of this information in their headers, firewalls can filter them effectively. The information in TCP packets allows your network interface to deliver data properly and a firewall can compare that information to the rules an IT admin has set. The combination of the control information in the incoming and outgoing packets can be used to determine the connection state between the sender and receiver.

In terms of firewalls, there are different base kinds, and each one monitors TCP packets differently. Stateless firewalls (sometimes discussed in terms of packet filtering) monitor network traffic and restrict or block packets based on source and destination addresses or other static values. They do this by inspecting individual packets in isolation rather than considering the overarching trends of the network traffic. 

On the other hand, stateful firewalls look at packets in isolation and also consider the connection states of streams of data. This means that stateful firewalls can tell what stage a TCP connection is currently in (open, open sent, synchronized, synchronization acknowledged, or established). Based on this information, a firewall can determine if the packet was starting the connection, was a part of an existing connection, or wasn’t involved at all. Although this might make stateful firewalls slower than stateless ones, it also makes them better at identifying unauthorized and forged communications.

Application firewalls are the newest generation of firewalls. Sometimes referred to as proxy-based firewalls, application firewalls are designed to scan and monitor network, internet, and local system access, as well as operations to and from an application or service. They are commonly used as enhancements for other firewalls since they essentially extend the reach of a firewall into the application layer. Application firewalls are sometimes network-based, meaning they scan and monitor network-based traffic destined for the application layer. Other times they are host-based, meaning they monitor all the incoming and outgoing traffic initiated by an application.

Firewalls can enhance network security by offering IT teams more granular control over what types of system functions and processes have access to their networking resources. When using a firewall, network administrators can carefully select the specific ports which receive and transmit data for various operations, including web browsing, email communication, and more. Firewalls can use various types of signatures and host conditions to allow or deny traffic. 

With increased insight into what is entering and exiting a network, IT teams can use firewalls to investigate suspicious packets and determine if there’s potentially hazardous activity occurring on a connected network. Additionally, deploying firewall network protection can help organizations keep hackers from entering their network. Without firewall security, a hacker could more easily obtain control over a computer on a network and steal data, deploy malware, or turn that computer into part of a botnet. Without an effective firewall, it would only take a matter of minutes for an internet-connected computer to be exposed to various forms of cyber threats.

With SolarWinds Security Event Manager, IT teams can improve their network firewall security system and detect unauthorized access such as port scans, unusual data packets, network attacks, and unusual traffic patterns—all with more ease than ever. SEM allows IT admins to generate firewall audit reports and demonstrate compliance with out-of-the-box templates.

Users can configure the SEM application to collect firewall information from a diverse array of firewalls manufacturers, including Cisco, Check Point, Software Technologies, Juniper Networks, and more. IT admins can set these firewalls to send logs to the SEM tool and centralize log data with SEM events for total network visibility. After a firewall is configured to send logs to SEM, IT admins can configure the corresponding connector on the SolarWinds SEM Manager. 

Additionally, IT admins can create custom filters that highlight specific firewall events. For example, users can create a filter to monitor all network traffic coming from a specific computer if they want to gain more targeted insights. They can also use connector profiles and other groups to broaden or refine the scope of custom filters. What’s more, SEM is built with a real time log and event analyzer, meaning IT teams can obtain immediate visibility into any network anomalies as they occur. This allows IT admins to have better situational awareness throughout their network ecosystems. 

In addition to operating as Network Firewall Security Management Software, SolarWinds Security Event Manager can be used many other ways. For instance, SEM can be utilized as a cyber threat intelligence framework to help IT teams identify security threats and make informed decisions about potential security issues. Users can set custom alarms so that events associated with suspicious activity are identified promptly, giving the IT team more time to address issues before an incident occurs. 

SEM can also be utilized as a file integrity monitoring software in order to help IT teams protect sensitive information from theft, loss, and malware. Users can use the file integrity checker to view details or changes made to files and folders, which allows IT teams to identify unwarranted file changes that might be a sign of external threats. 

Other SolarWinds Tools to Help Secure Network Firewalls:

• SolarWinds Patch Manager
• SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor
• SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager

Related Features:

• Firewall Log Analyzer
• Firewall Security Audit
• Juniper Firewall Analyzer
• Ubuntu Log Analyzer
• SonicWall Firewall Log Analyzer
• Network Security Monitoring