Firewall Implementations
Everyone is jumping
on the Internet bandwagon, despite the fact that the
security risks associated with connecting to the Internet
have never been greater.
Unlimited
Access Network and Software Solutions
has experience in building firewalls to safely connect
your company to the Internet. We offer a variety of
firewall approaches and architectures. We start
by discussing how we can build packet filtering, proxying,
and stateful inspection solutions at your site. We also
cover a wide variety of protocols and Internet services
(e.g., FTP, SMTP, Telnet) to integrate a firewall into
your corporate network.
What
Kind of Risks?
What kinds of security risks are posed by the Internet?
Some risks have been around since the early days of
networking -- password attacks (guessing them or cracking
them via password dictionaries and cracking programs),
denial of service, and exploiting known security holes.
Some risks are newer and even more dangerous -- password
sniffers, IP (Internet Protocol) forgery, and various
types of hijacking attacks.
Firewalls are a very effective way to protect your system
from these Internet security threats. Firewalls in computer
networks keep damage on one part of the network (e.g.,
eavesdropping, a worm program, file damage) from spreading
to the rest of the network. Without firewalls, network
security problems can rage out of control, dragging
more and more systems down.
What
is a "Firewall"?
What is a firewall? It's a hardware and/or software solution
that restricts access from your internal network to the
Internet -- and vice versa. A firewall may also be used
to separate two or more parts of your local network (for
example, protecting finance from R&D). The firewall
is installed at the perimeter of the network, ordinarily
where it connects to the Internet. You can think of a
firewall as a checkpoint; all traffic, incoming and outgoing,
is stopped at this point. Because it is, the firewall
can make sure that it is acceptable. "Acceptable"
means that whatever is passing through -- email, file
transfers, remote logins, NFS mounts, etc. -- conforms
to the security policy of the site.
Why
do I need a Firewall?
More than a million systems are now connected to the
Internet, and something like 15 million people in 100
countries on all seven continents use Internet services.
More than 100 million email messages are exchanged each
day, along with countless files, documents, and audio
and video images.
Everyone is jumping on the Internet bandwagon. Once
a haven for academicians and scientists, the Net is
now reaching large and small businesses, government
at all levels, school children, and senior citizens.
The commercial world is rushing headlong into doing
business on the Internet, barely pausing while technologies
and policies catch up with their desire to go online.
But, too few of the seekers after Internet wisdom and
riches consider whether their businesses will be safe
on the Internet.
Unlimited Access Network and Software Solutions
can discuss Internet security risks, pros and cons of firewalls,
and the development of security policies and responses
to security incidents. This is a key part in the business
decision about the risks of getting connected to the
Internet. Our services are divided into four parts:
- We
discuss Internet threats, the benefits of firewalls,
overall security strategies, and a summary of Internet
services and their security risks.
- We
describe possible firewall designs and general terms
and concepts, how to protect the bastion host in your
firewall configuration, how to build proxying and
packet filtering firewalls, and how to configure Internet
services to operate with a firewall.
- We
describe how to maintain a firewall, develop a security
policy, and respond to a security incident.
-
We can provide support once you have implemented a
firewall to ensure that your level of security is
maintained.
Remember...
In these dangerous times, firewalls should be at the
very center of your security plans. . .
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