As more and more businesses go digital, it’s imperative that they consider protecting their systems from potential threats. Studies have shown that cybercrime costs totaled about $3 trillion in 2015 and $6 trillion in 2021. It is only expected to increase by 2025. A firewall in cyber security is one foundational measure that can help prevent or mitigate the impact of crime. Combine it with an effective content-filtering appliance, and you’re all set to establish new cyber security standards in the market. Keep reading to learn more about the importance of having a good firewall and content-filtering appliance.
Firewall And Cyber Security: The Biggest Disruption to Cyber security
Ever since the advent of the firewall, cyber security has undergone two waves of disruption. The first wave signified the futility of perimeters and whitelisting, the two practices that companies used the most previously.
However, with the move to mobile devices and the cloud, the perimeter concept is officially dead. Google was among the first companies to adopt new cyber security practices. It adopted SDP or Software Defined Perimeter that solved its biggest challenges such as:
- Enforcing multifactor authentication
- Endpoint protection
- Patch management
Through this software, you can protect your systems (mobile phones included) and enforce strong authentication practices.
The second wave came in the form of DevOps. Implementing this system allowed organizations to get more work done. DevOps is a combination of software development (dev) and operations (ops). It is a set of tools and practices that automate and integrate the processes between IT teams and software development.
The Role of a Firewall
Firewalls provide a critical layer of protection against a wide range of cyber threats. So, what is a firewall in cyber security, and how does it work?
A firewall functions like a security device that controls and monitors incoming and outgoing network traffic. It serves as a barrier between the internal and external networks. The following are firewalls and their types in cyber security.
Packet Filtering
This firewall examines each data packet that enters the network. Since there is a predefined security criterion in place, it blocks anything that does not meet it. Through this process, malicious packets stay behind, and healthy ones reach their destination.
Proxy Service Firewalls
This type of network firewall security works by filtering messages. It’s almost like a middleman between the outsider servers and your internal network. This type of firewall is considered more secure than traditional firewalls.
Stateful Inspection
This method monitors the state of connections between network devices. It examines different aspects of data packets, such as:
- IP addresses
- Destination ports
- Source, etc.
This way, it only allows legitimate traffic to pass through.
Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFW)
Compared to stateful inspection and packet-filtering firewalls, next-generation firewalls are slightly more sophisticated. The inspection they carry out is far more thorough. They examine not only the packet headers but also their sources and contents. Most Canadian cyber security companies offer this type of firewall for more serious types of threats.
Human Firewall Cyber Security
This is often the last line of defense. “Human firewall” is the practice of employing people to detect cyber-attacks bypassing your computer security system.
It focuses on securing your network, but you may need to train employees to handle company data and avoid any loss. While this practice can prevent major cyber-attacks, it isn’t the ideal option for cyber security.
How Does Content Filtering Work?
While firewall in cyber security has its benefits, content filtering goes a step beyond it. It works by filtering content from text strings and images, ensuring that malicious content is screened out. No wonder it is a billion-dollar market.
Types of Content Filtering
When it comes to cyber security companies, Toronto has a lot of services to offer. Content filtering has certainly revolutionized the cyber security industry in Canada and beyond. Here are the most common types of filtering practices:
- Web filtering involves screening web pages or websites
- Email filtering involves screening emails for objectionable or spam content
- Executive filtering involves screening out files that persuade people to install malicious or unwanted software.
- DNS filtering involves blocking network access or content from harmful sources. However, it only applies to parties using a special kind of DNS resolver. This resolver has lists to filter harmful or unwanted content.
Why Does Your Company Need It?
Filtering internet content and traffic is of utmost importance in any organization. When it comes to the firewall and cyber security, there’s only so much the former can do for your business. Web filters will specifically block access to certain types of web content. So, why does your company need it? Here are some reasons why:
To Manage Your Company Image and Brand
Every company must ensure that their employees do not have access to extremely confidential data. If they use it on the company’s behalf for any purpose, it may cause irreversible damage to the brand image.
To Avoid Loss of Productivity
There’s only so much you can micromanage. Employees who have access to websites that interfere with their responsibilities can take a toll on their daily work output. Web filtering keeps such applications and websites at bay.
Web Filtering Does More Than Just Blocking
It filters content instead of blocking it. This means sites that were previously completely blocked are now only filtered. So employees still have access to useful information from platforms such as Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
The Takeaway
There’s no doubt that cyber security is witnessing rapid innovation. Keeping up with such dramatic shifts is becoming more and more challenging for enterprises. However, not keeping up with them can prove to be riskier. Every business that uses the internet will have its own security requirements. Implementing the most appropriate firewall in cyber security requires conducting a detailed analysis. Nonetheless, technology plays a crucial role in cyber security.
