A network firewall is a network security device that prevents cyberattacks and filters network traffic based on the security policies of an organization. Unsafe traffic that’s outside the scope of the organization’s security policies and cyberattacks that contain dangerous ransomware coming from hackers can be avoided if there’s an installed network firewall. That’s why making your network firewall more secure is necessary.
Here are six ways to make your network firewall more secure:
Manage Client’s VPN Access
Clients with VPN (virtual private network) software are a great threat to the internal cybersecurity of a company because they place unsecured desktop operating systems away from the security features of the corporate firewall. They can also have the capability to access data around all the internal networks. With that, you can encrypt the company’s data and add a firewall rule that can be employed to limit their access to specific ports or addresses only.
Control Firewall’s Configuration Access
Only the administrators who are authorized to access firewalls should be the only ones to modify its configurations. Even if they’re authorized to alter configurations, it must be noted in the log for compliance and assessment.
Allowing anyone to gain access in configuring a firewall can lead to possible data vulnerability and trouble in the network’s traffic, especially if there are accidental or intentional changes that altered the firewall’s rule––a component that decides what traffic is allowed to enter and exit in a company’s network.
Make Sure the Network Firewall Have a Complete Rule
It should be emphasized that a complete description of the network firewall rule or what the firewall is all about is necessary during the firewall configuration review. This will allow an easier change in the rule that’ll enhance it more on a continued basis.
All in all, Sacramento IT company Executech or any other reputable IT company must ensure that the firewall’s basic configuration achieves the special needs of their networks.
Update The Network Firewall
Network security threats are constantly evolving, and the way to deal with that is to update the firewall. These updates can come with new features that’ll prevent network traffic loopholes and fix bugs. It’ll also help to protect other people that an organization connects with, such as customers from receiving cybersecurity issues by not passing these issues to them.
It’s also recommended to change firewalls every three to five years. The reason is that the manufacturer’s support of a firewall has limits, and security updates and patches can only reach a certain kind of level.
As a whole, an update to a network firewall is important if companies will take on a bigger role or if a person’s network environment requirements change.
Do Security Audits
Security audits are most important when installing a network firewall for the first time, when there’s a migration that occurs within the firewall, when checking if there are unauthorized changes in the firewall, and when there’s a huge change in the firewall’s configuration by administrators.
Besides the ones given above, this type of audit is also crucial to ensure the firewall’s rules and configurations follow the organization’s internal cybersecurity policy and conditions for external regulations.
Here are some things to consider in conducting a security audit:
- Check the network firewall’s physical and operating system security
- Study the change management process
- Assess risk factors
- Improve the rule base
Automate Firewall Updates
If ever there’s a great need to update a network firewall regularly and the firewall administrators have no time to address that, then this is the only time when automatic updates are needed. Automatic updates on a network firewall provide less hassle and save time. All that’s needed is to schedule the computer to check for possible updates. Then, the computer will automatically update the firewall device.
Bottom Line
Hackers are always on the lookout for vulnerabilities within a network, and the size of the organization at risk isn’t part of their problem. The good news is that there are devices and technologies designed specifically to address this type of concern. A network firewall is one of those, and that’s why a company or an organization must make the best use of it by strengthening the firewall’s security to ensure smooth and safe processes.
To add, some things to consider when making the network firewall more secure are to automate its patches and security updates, make the firewall configuration inaccessible to anyone but the administrators, and ensure a complete rule for them, among others.
Overall, making the security of the network firewall is indeed important, and it won’t only benefit the company or organization but also its stakeholders and customers.
