Firewall and UTM Solutions Guide

Transcription

1 Firewall and UTM Solutions Guide Telephone: Web:

2 Why do I need a Firewall? You re not the Government, Microsoft or the BBC, so why would hackers target you? There are a number of reasons why hackers target small companies. Small companies do not spend as much on security and so are easier targets. The first step a hacker takes when attacking is to test for vulnerability. This is usually done with a scanner, a commonly available application that queries thousands of arbitrary Internet addresses, hunting for any network with any openings through which a hacker can enter. It s the same as a burglar sneaking down your street at 3am trying every front door, looking for one that s unlocked. If you get broken into, it s not personal. You just made it easy, you didn t lock your door. Hackers want your computing power Being roped unknowingly into such distributed computing applications poses a serious risk to any company, in part because most such attacks keep a low enough profile as to be unnoticeable. With 10 PCs and a broadband internet connection, a company by the name of Corporate Health Systems had persistent hacking which had enslaved the company s network for one purpose; to help the hacker win an encryption-cracking contest. Their hacking problem has now been resolved with the installation of a Watchguard UTM firewall. Hackers want your bandwidth Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks involve numerous computers bombarding an Internet server with data, overloading it and causing the server to go offline or crash. Hackers don t want their exploits to point back at their own machines, so they enslave other computers, turning them into zombies, forcing them to attack in concert. Your identity is valuable If a hacker can learn your name and address he is at liberty to change his mail, news, and chat settings to impersonate you. He might raid your contacts list and then pretend to be you while asking customers for information about your order history, including the account numbers used to pay invoices. In this guide we look at the firewall options available with their advantages and disadvantages. From the simple Windows Firewall through all-in-one DSL router firewalls to options that allow you to track and scan all the s moving within your organisation. Essex CM12 0DU Telephone: Page 1

3 Software Firewall When it comes to business, using only a software firewall can put you at risk. Software firewalls can be manipulated by viruses and thus are not as secure as a hardware firewall. Windows comes with its own built in software firewall, this can be used by laptop users if they are using hotspots or mobile connections while on the road. Budget friendly, Windows firewall comes free with the Windows operating system. No additional hardware needed, ideal for use while travelling. Can be manipulated by viruses and programs, not as secure as a hardware firewall. As computer is processing firewall data it can degrade performance. Hardware Firewall - ADSL Router/Firewall Most combined Firewall/Routers have a Packet filtering firewall. A packet contains a unit of user data with control information. The control information provides data the network needs to deliver the user data to its destination. Think of it like a bus, with the driver being the control information and the passengers being the user data. These firewalls do not allow packets to pass through the firewall unless they match the firewalls rule set. Generally these firewalls have limited ability to examine the packets to check for viruses or analyse web traffic. Modern firewalls however, can filter traffic based on many different packet attributes, these attributes include source or destination IP address or port; or a destination service like WWW (web traffic), SMTP ( ) or FTP (file transfers). Compact, ideal for small companies not requiring private network connections. Budget friendly, only one device needed to connect network to internet. No redundancy in event of line failure as only one internet connection. Limited speed throughput, with internet connections becoming superfast it is usually the firewall that slows the connection. Limited features, less secure remote connections and no packet inspection. Essex CM12 0DU Telephone: Page 2

4 UTM the next Generation Firewall Unified Threat Management is the term used for the latest premium firewalls. UTM solutions emerged out of the need to stem the increasing number of attacks on companies by hacking, cracking, viruses and worms. UTM devices contain technology to inspect every packet so to detect and stop threats as they come through the door. Below are some of the features of Watchguard s UTM firewall. Application Control Application Control enables administrators to monitor and control access to web and business applications to enforce policy, and protect productivity and network bandwidth. Gateway AntiVirus Gateway AntiVirus is a fully integrated, heuristic and signature-based security subscription that identifies and blocks known spyware, viruses, trojans, and blended threats in real time. Intrusion Protection Service Intrusion Protection Service works hand-in-hand with the WatchGuard firewall's application layer content inspection to provide real-time protection from threats, including spyware, SQL injections, cross-site scripting, and buffer overflows. SpamBlocker SpamBlocker is the best in the industry at distinguishing legitimate communication from spam outbreaks in real time, blocking nearly 100% of unwanted s and the viral payloads they carry. WebBlocker WebBlocker content and URL filtering subscription helps eliminate legal liabilities resulting from inappropriate web surfing, while increasing employee productivity and protection from web-based attacks. Reputation Enabled Defence Reputation Enabled Defence delivers a powerful, cloud-based URL reputation service that protects web users from malicious web pages, while dramatically improving web processing overhead. The firewalls we recommend are physically separate form the router, this means it can have more than one internet connection plugged in enabling it to switch between them in the case of a line failure. As all the security is controlled by the firewall it does not matter which line is used as the security will remain the same. Option for full redundancy in event of line failure (backup line needed). High speed data throughput. Caters for faster connection speeds. Highly secure Site to Site and remote access VPN connections. Modular pricing, you only pay for the features you require. More expensive, however modular pricing enables cost effectiveness. Is installed in additional to a router and involves more time to configure. Subscription charges for Antivirus/Weblocker. Essex CM12 0DU Telephone: Page 3

5 Additional products Security The Watchguard XCS appliance is used in addition to a firewall and is a dedicated state of the art Security solution that defends against inbound threats including viruses, spam, blended threats, phishing, spyware and network attacks. It blocks 98% of unwanted traffic at the perimeter and boosts your security and performance. Securely transmits and receives private and sensitive information with a Secur Encryption subscription Next-generation real-time threat monitoring aggregates intelligence from thousands of systems globally to block more than 98% of unwanted and malicious traffic at the perimeter. Deep content inspection and contextual analysis provides defence-in-depth approach for stronger protection from inbound spam, malware, blended threats, and network attacks. Zero-hour threat outbreak response closes the window of vulnerability to new threats with the fastest of response times. Encryption for Privacy and Compliance. Attachment control blocks files that are known to be harmful so they never enter your network. Set-it-and-forget-it administration allows you to apply a single policy for total visibility and control of all inbound traffic. Wireless Watchguard's wireless access points seamlessly integrate with their XTM firewalls to extend the best-in-class UTM security. You can harness the power of mobile devices and encourage BYOD without putting your network assets at risk. Security policies can be applied to wired and WLAN resources simultaneously, which is critical to enforcing security standards across an entire network. Automatic channel selection reduces network interference and congestion to ensure performance maximization Customizable Captive Portal technology allows network access to be gated upon acceptance of terms and conditions Administrator can restrict device access based on MAC address Auto-discovery of new access points allows for easy deployment - reducing setup time, saving money Clients connected to an SSID experience seamless network access when roaming between access points Scan and report functionality details information about wireless devices on the network for PCI compliance Summary What solution offers the best network protection for you? We believe the Watchguard XTM series firewall appliances give you the best security. Our technical director has been using them for almost 20 years and we currently support over 40 Watchguard XTMs. As every company has different needs, we can offer you a FREE, no obligation survey of your current equipment and then recommend the most flexible, scalable and competitive solution designed specifically for your business and your budget. Essex CM12 0DU Telephone: Page 4