When it comes to navigating best practices for firewall configuration, you want to look into angles like the principle of least privilege, designating specific ports and more. Acting as a leading barrier between your internal networks and external threats, firewall configuration is a big part of a successful setup. This segues to the question: what are the best practices for configuring a network firewall?
Whether it’s hardware, software-based, or a hybrid approach, you want to take a layered stance on unauthorized access. In the same vein, you don’t want to configure your firewalls to block out any legitimate traffic.
It’s helpful to understand that many firewall breaches stem from an improper setup, not so much due to the hardware itself. This article delves into 8 steps you should take to configure your firewalls for the access and protection your business needs.
The Role of a Firewall and Network Protection
Controlling and protecting your network requires multiple layers to your strategy to be effective on a day-to-day basis and in the long term. Elements like packet filtering, DPI, and application awareness are just one of many important next-generation firewall features.
Here’s a deeper look into how your network protection hardware protects your business:
- Detects and puts a halt to sophisticated security threats in real time
- Protects multiple systems at the network perimeter
- Consistent high performance and built to be scalable with business operations
- Granular and host-level traffic control on top of customizable policies
However, configuration falls into its own category here. Without the right plan for your firewall setup, you could end up with a few weak entry points that you won’t discover until a cyber threat becomes a problem.
Pre-Configuration Planning
One of your initial steps to firewall configuration should start with a thorough security audit. This helps you identify local vulnerabilities, open ports, as well as map devices, and more. It doesn’t stop there, as you’ll also want a strong grasp of your existing security controls and logging practices.
A secure firewall system isn’t a one-size-fits-all strategy. You’ll need written security policies and a good scope of your existing security. This is what will help guide you to the right firewall, in addition to proper configuration that’s geared to your business network demands. To ensure you get the security alignment you need, that’s where firewall configuration best practices come in.
8 Best Practices for Configuring a Network Firewall
Best practices aside, it’s helpful to remember that these are merely examples to help get the ball rolling. Depending on what’s needed for your business or industry, you may require a more specialized approach to configuration.
Nonetheless, the best practices below offer a thorough enough overview to ensure threats can’t just walk in the front door of your network. Between blocking traffic to managing ports and modern security principles, there’s a lot that goes into firewall and network protection.
1. Blocking Traffic by Default
This doesn’t mean you’ll have issues with internal access, but it’s focused on allowing only necessary connections. A big benefit to this configuration is that it closes unknown pathways, while ensuring those who need access don’t run into any issues.
You’ll find this an important aspect of reducing attack surfaces, but it also demands a thorough understanding of what your internal traffic needs are. Of course, in the long term, this will need consistent review to maintain a security posture you can rely on.
2. IP Restrictions
Another aspect of keeping network access in line is with IP restrictions. It’s understandable that certain IP addresses will need access, but this should come with a few restrictions. This means outbound traffic will be limited to approved IP destinations only.
More specifically, taking this stance is great for mitigating issues like DDoS attacks. Overall, you want to reduce network exposure without leaving authorized users in the dark. This is another area that’ll require maintenance, especially if you’re dealing with remote or dynamic IPs.
3. Managing Open Ports
You only want the most essential ports open for your daily business operations. Take this one step further by assigning specific ports to help restrict access. On the other end of this, always close or disable ports that aren’t in use anymore. With many modern firewall hardware, this is easier than ever to achieve with their cohesive dashboard management.
4. Intrusion Prevention and Detection (IPS/IDS)
If you aren’t already familiar, intrusion prevention and detection systems are a big benefit to next-gen firewall hardware. Where IPS can help with blocking malicious traffic, IDS works to keep your team alert to suspicious activity on the network.
It’s a combined approach that’s proactive, while also giving you control over the situation with incident response. Another upside to this approach to configuration is that it helps a lot with regulation compliance in the long run.
5. Principle of Least Privilege (PoLP)
This can go hand in hand with zero trust architecture, but it’s important to understand the individual benefits of PoLP. Putting this into place ensures users are only able to access parts of the network that are vital to their specific roles.
If a user or account is compromised, PoLP does well to limit damage potential. For a more comprehensive stance here, make sure to combine this with identity and access management control.
6. Logging and Continuous Monitoring
This is a given for anyone who’s dealt with firewall configuration and management before. Logging and continuous monitoring are crucial for things like incident investigation and forensic analysis of your traffic. You can make this easier for yourself through real-time alerts and reviewing log information on a regular basis. It’s a crucial component to keeping a bird’s-eye view of your network.
7. Organizing Firewall Rules
There are quite a few layers to this, but the gist of your firewall rules should range from most to least restrictive. Your aim is to ensure critical protections are evaluated first, while preventing rule conflicts and redundancies with regular audits.
It’s important to also utilize VLANs and subnets for the sake of segmentation and isolating your most sensitive systems. Having this stance on structured rules can help with not only your security, but overall network performance as well.
8. Regular Firmware Updates and Testing
Even with the rising prevalence of automation within firewall tech, it’s important you stay on top of regular firmware updates. You don’t want any potential vulnerabilities sticking around for very long, and regular penetration testing can help with that as well.
Handling consistent reviews of your firmware and testing your defenses helps you stay one step ahead of any potential issues. Preventing exploitation of outdated software and your network as a whole demands a proactive strategy.
The Final Word
What is the best way to secure a network firewall? Evidently, there are quite a few layers to that question, which is why understanding best practices is so important. While this may inevitably look different from one business to the next, it’s best to have a grasp on what’s needed to avoid modern cybersecurity threats.
Between proper configuration and your ongoing due diligence, you can manage evolving threats, as well as maintain compliance. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team, as we can help you find the right firewall tech and avoid any confusion when it comes to proper configuration.
