History of Firewall

• 1989: Birth of packet filtering firewalls
• 1992: First commercial firewall DEC SEAL
• 1994: First of the stateful firewalls appear
• 2004: IDC coins the term UTM (unified threat management)
• 2009: Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) was introduced by Gartner

Now you get to know about brief introduction of firewall system and its history, let’s dive deeper into educating different types of firewall with its examples and uses with ease.

Types of Firewall in Networking

Here, we will show you 12 different types of firewalls that regular to play essential roles in the enterprise environment today; below mentioned each one along with their pros and cons, you can check them:

Also Read: 20 Advantages and Disadvantages of Firewall | Benefits & Drawback

Packet-Filtering Firewalls:

Packet filtering firewall is the primary kind of firewall system that works as a management program to monitor the network traffic and filters all incoming packets depend on the configured security rules.

The main objective of developing this firewall is to block the network traffic IP protocol, IP address and port number, whenever the data packet doesn’t match the designed rule set. As well as, the packet filtering firewall is going to use as a fastest solution without getting any other resource requirements.

But, they have some drawbacks also, because these firewalls are unable to prevent web-based attacks.

Benefits of Packet Filtering Firewall

• An individually device is also capable to filter traffic for the whole network.
• It has extremely fast speed and sufficient for scanning traffic.
• Cost-effective
• It can just minor impact on other resources, end user experience, and network performance.

Drawbacks of Packet Filtering Firewall

• Cause of totally dependency on IP address or port information, then this firewall lacks boarder context that informs other kinds of firewalls.
• Unable to check the payload and can be spoofed with ease.
• Not an optimum solution for each network
• Its access control lists are more hassle to configure and manage.

Circuit-Level Gateways:

Circuit-level gateways are also another simplest kind of firewall system that can be easily set-up to permit or block traffic without any consuming essential computing resources.

These firewalls work at the session layer of OSI model by helping to verify TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) connections and sessions. This circuit gateway is developed to make ensure that the built sessions are secured.

Mostly, circuit level firewalls are uses as security software or pre-installed firewalls. Similar as the packet filtering firewalls, these types of firewall system are unable to identify the actual data; but they can inspect information about the transaction.

So, when a data gets malware, then it follows the correct TCP connection, and it will be passing via gateway. Still, this circuit level gateways are not reliable to safe our systems.

Benefits of Circuit-Level Gateway Firewall

• It only accepts only processes requested transaction, and other traffic is deny.
• Pretty simple to configure and manage
• Less expensive and minimal effect on the end-user experience

Drawbacks of Circuit-Level Gateway Firewall

• It is unable to keep monitoring the application layer
• It needs only on-going updates to keep rules current.
• Whenever, this firewall is not getting to implement in the conjunction along with other security technique, then circuit level gateway firewall provide no security against data leakage from the devices along with in firewall

Application-Level Gateways (Proxy Firewalls):

Application level gateways are the another variant of proxy firewalls that are going to implement at the application layer of OSI through proxy device. Beyond of, an external accessing your internal network directly, then the connection is built via a proxy firewall.

The outer clients are able to send a request to the proxy firewall, but firstly this request will be verified and authenticated, then proxy firewall forwards it to one of the internally devices or servers on the behalf of clients.

As well as, the internal device may request access to a webpage and then a proxy device will move this request while getting to hide the identity and location of network and internal device.

Apposite the packet filtering firewalls, a proxy firewalls execute state full and deep packet inspection to identify the context and content of the data packets apposite a group of user-defined rules. Depend on the outcome, they either allow or eliminate a packet.

They secure the identity and location of your precious resources by getting to prevent a direct connection in between the internal systems and outer networks. Whenever, you configure them to get optimal network security can be easily. Hence, the proxy firewall is the most important an additional barrier in between the host and client.

Benefits of Application-Level Gateways Firewall

This firewall has DPI (Deep Packet Inspection) abilities that help to check both header and payloads of incoming traffic.

• Using an additional layer of separation in between the clients and your network
• Eliminate the internal IP addressed from potential threat actors.
• It is capable to identify and stop attacks disappear at the network layer of OSI model.
• It provides the excellent grained protection control over the network traffic.
• Getting to unlock geo-locational restrictions

Drawbacks of Application-Level Gateways Firewall

• Enhanced the latency cause of thorough packet checks and additional communication steps
• Not cost affordable than other kinds of firewalls, cause of higher processing overload
• Having more difficulties to set up and maintain
• It is not compatible along with each network protocol.

Stateful Multi-layer Inspection (SMLI) Firewalls:

This firewall is also another form of packet filtering that is going to  implement in managing about how to move data packets via a firewall. Therefore, it is also known as dynamic packet filtering.

These types of firewall are capable to inspect that if a packet belongs to a specific session or not. It just allows the communication if and only if. They built accurate session in between two endpoints else it will stop the communication.

Benefits of Stateful Inspection Firewall

• It gets involvement of recent inspected packet when this firewall filters the traffic.
• Better result at blocking attacks that purpose to exploit protocol flaws.
• It doesn’t permit to open the many ports to flow traffic incoming or out coming that shrinks the attack surface.
• Helping to digital forensics due to its detailed logging abilities
• Less probability to exposure to port scanners

Drawbacks of Stateful Inspection Firewall

• Not cost-effective as compare to packet filtering firewalls
• Need the professional skill to configure properly
• Get degrading the performance and lead to network latency
• Not allowing to authentication support for getting to validate spoofed traffic sources
• Getting to vulnerable to TCP flood attacks that take benefits of pre-defined connections.

Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFW):

These firewalls are similar like as intelligent firewalls that are able to perform all tasks that are done by other kinds of firewalls, which are learnt recently but not upper of that; it enables extra features such as application awareness and control, cloud delivered threat intelligence, and integrated intrusion prevention.

Benefits of Next-Generation Firewalls

• Merge the conventional firewall along with modern cyber security abilities
• It allows inspecting network traffic from data link layer with application layer in OSI model.
• It has origin logging abilities.

Drawbacks of Next-Generation Firewalls

• More costly to other firewall types
• It gets huge one point of failure.
• Having slow time for deployment
• Need a higher level of expertise to configure and execute
• Getting to hindered network performance

Software Firewalls:

Software firewalls are getting to install on individually devices. These types of firewalls offer most granular control to permit access to one application otherwise feature with stopping others.

Cause of this, these firewalls are most pricey in the terms of resources since they consume the RAM and CPU of all devices; they get to install on, and administrators should be configured and handle them separately for every device.

Hence, all devices along with intranet might not be most compatible being a single software firewall.

Benefits of Software Firewalls

• Highly protection from their allotted device
• Apart separate network edge points from one another
• Excellent granular protection in which an admin has fully control over permitted programs.
• Easy readability

Drawbacks of Software Firewalls

• Highly usage of device’s RAM, storage and CPU
• Day to day maintenance is hassle and more time-consumption
• Not whole devices are most compatible along with each firewall; therefore you might have to use other alternatives with in similar network.

Hardware Firewall:

Hardware firewall works as ‘Appliance Firewall’ that is an individual piece of hardware that helps to filter traffic in and out of a network.

Apposite of software firewall, these self-contained devices have their own resources and not permitted to use of any RAM and CPU from host devices.

These types of firewall are most convincing for firms along with various devices on the similar network. While they are able to stop unauthorised traffic well before it arrives any endpoints; they are not capable to offer protection against internal attacks.

So, a merged software and hardware firewall can serve the optimal protection to your companies’ network.

Benefits of Hardware Firewalls

• Easy to keep protect many devices along with one solution
• It has upper-tier perimeter protection as malicious traffic that never reaches host devices.
• Deny consuming resources of host devices
• Administrator is able to keep managing just one firewall for the entire network.

Drawbacks of Hardware Firewalls

• More pricey as compared to software firewalls
• Configuration and management need more skill as compare to software-based firewalls.

Threat-focused NGFW:

Thread focused NGFW involves with all features of a conventional NGFW. AS well as, they also offer the modern threat detection and remediation. These firewalls are able to react appose to attacks immediately.

Being intelligent security automation, threat focused NGFW set security rules & policy, next enhancing the security of the overall defense system. And, these types of firewalls are getting to use retrospective security system to keep monitor suspicious activities regularly.

They can easily keep analysing the behaviour of each activity even the starting inspection. Cause of this functionality, threat focus NGFW dramatically decrease the overall time consumed from threat detection to wiping up.

Network Address Translation (NAT) Firewalls:

Network address translation firewalls allow to access internet traffic and stop all unauthorised connections. These firewalls mostly hide the IP addresses of our devices for making it protect from hackers.

Whenever, several devices are going to use make connection with internet, NAT firewalls make a unique IP address and hide separately IP addresses of all devices. Being outcome, single IP address is adopting for all devices.

This is because, NAT firewalls protect individually, network addresses from hackers scanning a network for getting to access IP addresses. These outcomes get in increasing the protection against unwanted activities and cyber-attacks as well.

Hence, NAT firewalls acts like as proxy firewalls, so NAT firewall also perform as a middleware device in between the group of computers and outer traffic.

Cloud & Hosted Firewalls:

Managed security service providers (MSSPs) serve the cloud based firewalls, and this service is capable to keep tracking both internal network activity and third-party on demand environments.

This is also called the firewall as a service, cloud based firewall can be entirely handled by an MSSP that making it a best solution for enlarge otherwise higher distribution enterprise along with gaps in protected resources.

This cloud based firewalls is also most beneficial to smaller firms along with limited staff and expertise.

Unified Threat Management Firewalls:

Unified Threat Management (UTM) firewalls are an especial kind of device that enables all features of stateful inspection firewall along with anti-virus and intrusion protection support.

These firewalls allow to offer the simplicity and easy to use. This firewall is also able to append various other services like as cloud management, and more.

Examples of Firewall in Real Life

Here, we will explore you about both firewall examples as software and hardware firewall; you should be knowing about both before adopting them as your convince.

Firewall Hardware Examples:

Palo Alto Networks PA-7000 Series: This firewall hardware device is going to use as enterprise-grade firewall hardware that enables with Citrix, Azure Directory, and other most eminent IT components.

Netgate pfSense Security Gateway Appliances: This firewall hardware device is going to use for producing the results from a partnership in between pfSense and Netgate, and cyber security firm.

SonicWall Network Security Firewalls: This firewall hardware device is going to use for SMBs, mid-sized enterprises, and large organizations being data center operators.

Bitdefender BOX: It is complete firewall hardware solution for your office, home, and other personal devices.

Cisco Firepower: Threat focused next generation firewall that helps to secure the enterprise networks from complicated cyber-attacks. Cisco’s Firepower series is advanced version from the trust-worthy appliances and available in many specification for getting to support data transfer in between 890 Mbps and 190 Gbps.

Netgear ProSAFE: This is a business class firewall and VPN solution that helps to protect network access in between HQ location, branches, WFH workers, and remote offices.

Sophos XG Firewall: This is most powerful and trust-able firewall hardware device that assists to data exchange in between HQW locations and remote office’s branches along with getting to consolidate governance for private and public clouds.

CUJO AI Smart Internet Security Firewall: AI powered firewall appliance to secure your office and home from network based threat, and this system is powered by CUJO’s proprietary ML and AI innovations and experience for offering the telecoms carriers.

Fortinet FortiGate® 6000F Series: This firewall is a higher performance NGFW hardware device for enlarge enterprise and service providers along with built-in SD-WAN abilities and encrypted IPSEC tunnels.

WatchGuard Firebox: WatchGuard Firebox (T35 and T55): This firewall system is used for small offices and sites; as well as WatchGuard enables will all features that you would expect in a unified thread management solution.

Firewall Software Examples:

TotalAV: This is one of excellent solution for protecting your computer system from malware, viruses and other harmful websites. It also offers the real-time Anti-Malware, Anti Spyware, Anti Adware protection, and Anti Ransonmware.

GlassWire Firewall: This is free-of-cost firewall software for keeping to monitor and security tool implementing a built-in firewall. GlassWire software is able to appear your previously and present network activities.

ManageEngine Firewall Analyzer: This is firewall management software that assists you to identify the security vulnerabilities at the firewall policies. This firewall software serves the real-tie visibility in network firewall security.

ZoneAlarm: It is also unpaid firewall software that assists you to secure your system from cyber-attacks. It stops unauthorised programs and network traffic access to the internet.

It is supportable with Windows 7, 8, 10, XP and Vista. ZonalAlarm firewall is capable to prevent the malicious alterations to your computer system by getting to lock host’s file. It also allows to protect unauthorized changes by password protecting its settings.

SolarWinds Network Firewall: This firewall offers the network firewall security management software along with security event manager. Its enabled features and functionalities to make the strengthen your network protection. By using this tool, you can easily identify the security violations by helping policy checks.

Avast Endpoint Firewall: This is a firewall security tool that assists you to search out the vulnerabilities in the third-party apps. This firewall can be easily deployed from Avast Business to your computer system.

ManageEngine Firewall Analyzer: ManageEngine keeps continuously monitoring the firewall logs to detect the suspicious network activity and offers the real-time visibility into firewall security of your network. It also allows you to detect security vulnerabilities in the firewall policies also.

System Mechanic Ultimate Defense: This tool provides the malware killer that helps to find out and eliminate harmful malware from the effected systems.

Norton: This is unpaid firewall that is part of the Norton Antivirus and Norton internet security solution introduced by Norton; it is also known as ‘Smart Firewall’. This tool uses the database of programs to stop or flag programs.

Azure Firewall: This tool offers the network security to safe your network resources, as well as also provides the features of threat intelligence based filtering. It can prevent traffic against the malicious domains and IP addresses.

Evorim: It is also one of the best unpaid firewall programs that helps to detect the threats and secures the privacy of your website. It supports the Windows 10 and able to handle each program on your system by allowing and denying access to the internet.

LifeLock: This firewall system is also provided by the Norton, and it is able to keep monitoring the internet traffic for security from intrusions. It also stops the online threats like as viruses, intrusions, and malware.

TinyWall: TinyWall is the best firewall for Windows 10 operating system that helps to protect your computer against each types of threat over the internet. There are also available free versions of this tool in the market.

Other Important Firewall Softwares:

• Comodo Firewall
• Netdefender
• PeerBlock
• OpenDNS Home
• Privatefirewall
• Untangle

Reasons! Why You Should Use a Firewall?

There are few remarkable reasons; behalf of them, you should be preferred the firewall system on your system; below shown each one, you can check them:

Traffic Monitoring:

The Firewall system permits you to keep monitors the data from where it comes in and out of your system. It serves the quickly response time and capable to handle the massive traffic loads.

This regulation is getting to predetermine the rules and associated filters. The skilled team and well enabled equipped are also able to offer sound prove protection to your system depended upon the incoming and outgoing data from the firewall system.

Protection from Virus:

Malware especially kinds of Trojans are most harmful to the users, because Trojan silently enters on your computer system and getting to spy over all works you perform with it.

Then, all collected information by them will be pushed to the web server. Perchance, user will not able to know their availability until the unwanted behaviour of your system.

In this situation, firewalls are capable to instantly block the Trojans before they get any damages to your computer.

Prevent from Hackers:

Hacker always keeps alert on the internet constantly look for the computer systems in order for keeping to carry out their illegal activities. Whenever, hackers feel that any such system, then they will get to begin to do malicious activities like as spreading the viruses.

Instead of those hackers, there may be unknown person like as neighbours finding out for an open internet connection. Thus, to protect this kind of intrusions, firewall is a best solution for providing protection.

Easy Installation Process:

If you haven’t sufficient technical skill, then you are also able to install the firewall systems on your computer system. While getting to install the firewall, there is not any require for higher level technical information.

If you want to get some assistance for installing the firewalls, then you can take reference the internet resources that are completely informative. Few most advanced operating system such as Windows 7, Windows 8, 10 already have pre-configured firewall system.

But, the hardware firewalls can be little bit tricky to install, then you can take the assistance a professional expert.

Prevent from Spyware:

Now these days in the globe almost data-driven; and it has witnessed various spyware attacks on your system that getting to result massive over the network users in the form of data stolen.

Keeping the network protection from those spyware attacks like as malicious and Trojans programs. Then, you can implement the firewall at the networks. The firewalls works as an essential blockade from these malicious and Trojans programs

Enhanced Privacy & Security:

The firewalls system may play the major role in corporate security management; and it also provides the excellent security and privacy from the vulnerable services.

It is more restricted to unauthorized users from getting to access the private network that is attached to the internet. Firewalls also assist to safe your precious data and secure.

Most of companies are doing to spend millions of amount on the security their system from external malware attacks. As well as, firewalls are also capable to block DNS information of the website. Cause of this IP address and names will not be appeared to the hackers.

Virtual Connectivity:

The routers are capable to attach with other networks by using of LAN networks. Therefore, users can link to the internet at any time and thus you can say that virtual connectivity is possible.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

What are firewalls and its types?

Firewall is a protected layer that helps to prevent the unauthorized access against entering the private network. A firewall can either be software or hardware, as well as consist of the combination of both. There are many types of firewall in the networking, each one is explored above this article, and you can read them.

What is the purpose of a firewall?

A firewall is a protected layer that is going to use to keep monitoring the incoming and outgoing traffic over the network.

What are the two main types of firewall?

Firewall is designed based on two concepts like as network-based and host-based. In the network based, an entire network is protected by hardware devices; whereas in host based firewall that are frequently software and secure individual device called the hosts.

What are the different types of firewall with diagram in computer network?

In this post, already we explained above 12 different kinds of firewall system in detail; you can check them.

How many types of firewall is used in internet?

A firewall has three different categories like as hardware, software, and cloud-based firewalls.

What is an example of firewall in network security?

Firewall can either be software or hardware. So, router is a best real life example of a physical firewall. .

What are the examples of firewall hardware and software?

In this article, many examples of firewall software and hardware are showing, you can check them.

What is the use of firewall in network security?

Firewall is a digital security technology that helps to detect all incoming and outgoing traffic over the network as per defined set of rules. A firewall system always keeps blocking all unauthorized traffic.

What is the use of firewall in networking?

The main objective of using firewall is to permit only non-threatening traffic in and to keep harmful traffic out.

Where are firewalls used?

Mostly, the firewall is going to use businesses that require to protect a enlarge network of servers, computers, and employees. Network based firewall is capable to keep monitoring the communication in between firm’s computers and external sources, and restrict specific IP addressed, websites, or other services.

Final Worlds

From this blog post, you have been fully learnt about different types of firewall system and its examples as well as many uses of firewall with ease. If this article is valuable for you, then please share it along with your friends, family members or relatives over social media platforms like as Facebook, Instagram, Linked In, Twitter, and more.

Also Read: 20 Advantages and Disadvantages of Firewall | Benefits & Drawback

If you have any experience, tips, tricks, or query regarding this issue? You can drop a comment!

Happy Learning!!allow