Firewall Technologies Prepared by : Yousef Aburabie Supervised By

Firewall Technologies Prepared by : Yousef Aburabie Supervised By : Dr. Lo’ai Tawalbeh New York Institute of Technology (NYIT)-Jordan’s campus-2006

Outline of Presentation The Nature of Today’s Attacker Firewall Definition and History What Firewalls Do and Cannot Do Types of Firewalls Firewall Architecture Do You Need a Firewall Selecting Firewall Implementations Conclusion

The Nature of Today’s Attackers Who are these “hackers” who are trying to break into your computer? Most people imagine someone at a keyboard late at night, guessing passwords to steal confidential data from a computer system. This type of attack does happen, but it makes up a very small portion of the total network attacks that occur. Today, worms and viruses initiate the vast majority of attacks. Worms and viruses generally find their targets randomly. As a result, even organizations with little or no confidential information need firewalls to protect their networks from these automated attackers.

What Is a Firewall? The term firewall has been around for quite some time and originally was used to define a barrier constructed to prevent the spread of fire from one part of a building or structure to another. Network firewalls provide a barrier between networks that prevents or denies unwanted or unauthorized traffic. Definition: A Network Firewall is a system or group of systems used to control access between two networks -- a trusted network and an untrusted network -- using pre-configured rules or filters.

What Is a Firewall? Device that provides secure connectivity between networks (internal/external; varying levels of trust) Used to implement and enforce a security policy for communication between networks Firewalls can either be hardware and/or software based.

Firewalls History Firewall technology emerged in the late 1980s when the Internet was a fairly new technology in terms of its global use and connectivity. The original idea was formed in response to a number of major internet security breaches, which occurred in the late 1980s.

Firewalls History First generation - packet filters The first paper published on firewall technology was in 1988, when Jeff Mogul from Digital Equipment Corporatin (DEC) developed filter systems known as packet filter firewalls. Second generation - circuit level From 1980-1990 two colleagues from AT&T Company, developed the second generation of firewalls known as circuit level firewalls. Third generation - application layer Publications by Gene Spafford of Purdue University, Bill Cheswick at AT&T Laboratories described a third generation firewall. also known as proxy based firewalls.

Firewalls History Subsequent generations In 1992, Bob Braden and Annette DeSchon at the University of Southren California (USC) were developing their own fourth generation packet filter firewall system. In 1994 an Israeli company called Check Point Software Technologies built this into readily available software known as FireWall-1. Cisco, one of the largest internet security companies in the world released their PIX ” Private Internet EXchange ” product to the public in 1997.

What Firewalls Do Positive Effects Negative Effects

What Firewalls Do (Positive Effects) Positive Effects User authentication. Firewalls can be configured to require user authentication. This allows network administrators to control ,track specific user activity. Auditing and logging. By configuring a firewall to log and audit activity, information may be kept and analyzed at a later date.

What Firewalls Do (Positive Effects) Anti-Spoofing - Detecting when the source of the network traffic is being "spoofed", i.e., when an individual attempting to access a blocked service alters the source address in the message so that the traffic is allowed. Network Address Translation (NAT) - Changing the network addresses of devices on any side of the firewall to hide their true addresses from devices on other sides. There are two ways NAT is performed: – – One-to-One - where each true address is translated to a unique translated address. Many-to-One - where all true addresses are translated to a single address, usually that of the firewall.

What Firewalls Do (Positive Effects) Virtual Private Networks VPNs are communications sessions traversing public networks that have been made virtually private through the use of encryption technology. VPN sessions are defined by creating a firewall rule that requires encryption for any session that meets specific criteria.

What Firewalls Do (Negative Effects) Negative Effects Although firewall solutions provide many benefits, negative effects may also be experienced. – Traffic bottlenecks. By forcing all network traffic to pass through the firewall, there is a greater chance that the network will become congested. – Single point of failure. In most configurations where firewalls are the only link between networks, if they are not configured correctly or are unavailable, no traffic will be allowed through.

What Firewalls Do – (Negative Effects) Increased management responsibilities. A firewall often adds to network management responsibilities and makes network troubleshooting more complex.

What Firewalls Cannot Do The most common misconception about firewalls is that they guarantee security for your network. A firewall cannot and does not guarantee that your network is 100% secure. Firewalls cannot offer any protection against inside attacks. A high percentage of security incidents today come from inside the trusted network.

What Firewalls Cannot Do In most implementations, firewalls cannot provide protection against viruses or malicious code. Since most firewalls do not inspect the payload or content of the packet, they are not aware of any threat that may be contained inside. Finally, no firewall can protect against inadequate or mismanaged policies.

How Firewalls Work There are two security design logic approaches network firewalls use to make access control decisions. – – Everything not specifically permitted is denied. Everything not specifically denied is permitted. The one most often recommended is everything not specifically permitted is denied.

How Firewalls Work Basic TCP/IP Flow review

Types of Firewalls Firewalls types can be categorized depending on: – – – The Function or methodology the firewall use Whether the communication is being done between a single node and the network, or between two or more networks. Whether the communication state is being tracked at the firewall or not.

Types of Firewalls 1. By the Firewalls methodology : Packet Filtering Stateful Packet Inspection Application Gateways/Proxies Adaptive Proxies Circuit Level Gateway

Packet Filtering Firewall A packet filtering firewall does exactly what its name implies -- it filters packets. As each packet passes through the firewall, it is examined and information contained in the header is compared to a pre-configured set of rules or filters. An allow or deny decision is made based on the results of the comparison. Each packet is examined individually without regard to other packets that are part of the same connection.

Packet Filtering Firewall Packet Filtering Firewall Trusted Network Firewall rule set Packet is Blocked or Discarded Untrusted Network

Packet Filtering Firewall A packet filtering firewall is often called a network layer firewall because the filtering is primarily done at the network layer (layer three) or the transport layer (layer four) of the OSI reference model.

Packet Filtering Firewall You use packet filters to instruct a firewall to drop traffic that meets certain criteria. For example, you could create a filter that would drop all ping requests. You can also configure filters with more complex exceptions to a rule.

Packet Filtering Firewall Packet filtering rules or filters can be configured to allow or deny traffic based on one or more of the following variables: – – – – – Source IP address Destination IP address Protocol type (TCP/UDP) Source port Destination port

Packet Filtering Strengths : Packet filtering is typically faster than other packet screening methods. Because packet filtering is done at the lower levels of the OSI model, the time it takes to process a packet is much quicker. Packet filtering firewalls can be implemented transparently. They typically require no additional configuration for clients. Packet filtering firewalls are typically less expensive. Many hardware devices and software packages have packet filtering features included as part of their standard package.

Packet Filtering Weaknesses Packet filtering firewalls allow a direct connection to be made between the two endpoints. Although this type of packet screening is configured to allow or deny traffic between two networks, the client/server model is never broken. Packet filtering firewalls are fast and typically have no impact on network performance, but it's usually an all-or-nothing approach. If ports are open, they are open to all traffic passing through that port, which in effect leaves a security hole in your network. Defining rules and filters on a packet filtering firewall can be a complex task.

Packet Filtering (Weaknesses) Packet filtering firewalls are prone to certain types of attacks. Since packet inspection goes no deeper than the packet header information, There are three common exploits to which packet filtering firewalls are susceptible. – These are IP spoofing sending your data and faking a source address that the firewall will trust – ICMP ”Internet Control Message Protocol” tunneling ICMP tunneling allows a hacker to insert data into a legitimate ICMP packet.

Stateful Packet Inspection Stateful packet inspection uses the same fundamental packet screening technique that packet filtering does. In addition, it examines the packet header information from the network layer of the OSI model to the application layer to verify that the packet is part of a legitimate connection and the protocols are behaving as expected.

Stateful Packet Inspection Firewall As packets pass through the firewall, packet header information is examined and fed into a dynamic state table where it is stored. The packets are compared to pre-configured rules or filters and allow or deny decisions are made based on the results of the comparison. The data in the state table is then used to evaluate subsequent packets to verify that they are part of the same connection.

Stateful Packet Inspection Firewall This method can make decisions based on one or more of the following: Source IP address Destination IP address Protocol type (TCP/UDP) Source port Destination port Connection state

Stateful Packet Inspection Firewall The connection state is derived from information gathered in previous packets. It is an essential factor in making the decision for new communication attempts. Stateful packet inspection compares the packets against the rules or filters and then checks the dynamic state table to verify that the packets are part of a valid, established connection. By having the ability to "remember" the status of a connection, this method of packet screening is better equipped to guard against attacks than standard packet filtering.

Stateful Packet Inspection Firewall Trusted Network Packet is Blocked or Discarded Untrusted Network

Stateful Packet Inspection Strengths : Like packet filtering firewalls, have very little impact on network performance. More secure than basic packet filtering firewalls. Because stateful packet inspection digs deeper into the packet header information to determine the connection state between endpoints. Usually it have some logging capabilities. Logging can help identify and track the different types of traffic that pass though the firewall.

Stateful Packet Inspection Weaknesses Like packet filtering, stateful packet inspection does not break the client/server model and therefore allows a direct connection to be made between the two endpoints Rules and filters in this packet screening method can become complex, hard to manage, prone to error and difficult to test.

Application Gateways/Proxies The proxy plays middleman in all connection attempts. The application gateway/proxy acts as an intermediary between the two endpoints. This packet screening method actually breaks the client/server model in that two connections are required: one from the source to the gateway/proxy and one from the gateway/proxy to the destination. Each endpoint can only communicate with the other by going through the gateway/proxy.

Application Gateways/Proxies This type of firewall operates at the application level of the OSI model. For source and destination endpoints to be able to communicate with each other, a proxy service must be implemented for each application protocol. The gateways/proxies are carefully designed to be reliable and secure because they are the only connection point between the two networks.

Application Gateways/Proxies

Application Gateways/Proxies Firewall When a client issues a request from the untrusted network, a connection is established with the application gateway/proxy. The proxy determines if the request is valid (by comparing it to any rules or filters) and then sends a new request on behalf of the client to the destination. By using this method, a direct connection is never made from the trusted network to the untrusted network and the request appears to have originated from the application gateway/proxy. Application Gateway (Proxy service) Work Station Untrusted Network

Application Gateways/Proxies Firewall The response is sent back to the application gateway/proxy, which determines if it is valid and then sends it on to the client. By breaking the client/server model, this type of firewall can effectively hide the trusted network from the untrusted network. It is important to note that the application gateway/proxy actually builds a new request, only copying known acceptable commands before sending it on to the destination. Unlike packet filtering and stateful packet inspection, an application gateway/proxy can see all aspects of the application layer so it can look for more specific pieces of information

Application Gateways/Proxies Strengths Application gateways/proxies do not allow a direct connection to be made between endpoints. They actually break the client/server model. Typically have the best content filtering capabilities. Since they have the ability to examine the payload of the packet, they are capable of making decisions based on content. Allow the network administrator to have more control over traffic passing through the firewall. They can permit or deny specific applications or specific features of an application.

Application Gateways/Proxies Weaknesses The most significant weakness is the impact they can have on performance. it requires more processing power and has the potential to become a bottleneck for the network. Typically require additional client configuration. Clients on the network may require specialized software or configuration changes to be able to connect to the application gateway/proxy.

Adaptive Proxies Known as dynamic proxies Developed as an enhanced form of application gateways/proxies. Combining the merits of both application gateways/proxies and packet filtering

Circuit-level Gateway Unlike a packet filtering firewall, a circuit-level gateway does not examine individual packets. Instead, circuit-level gateways monitor TCP or UDP sessions. Once a session has been established, it leaves the port open to allow all other packets belonging to that session to pass. The port is closed when the session is terminated. circuit-level gateways operate at the transport layer (layer 4) of the OSI model.

Types of Firewalls 2. With regard to the scope of filtered communications the done between a single node and the network, or between two or more networks there exist : – – Personal Firewalls, a software application which normally filters traffic entering or leaving a single computer. Network firewalls, normally running on a dedicated network device or computer positioned on the boundary of two or more networks.

Types of Firewalls 3. Finally, Types depending on whether the firewalls keeps track of the state of network connections or treats each packet in isolation, two additional categories of firewalls exist: – – Stateful firewall Stateless firewall

Types of Firewalls Stateful firewall keeps track of the state of network connections (such as TCP streams) traveling across it. Stateful firewall is able to hold in memory significant attributes of each connection, from start to finish. These attributes, which are collectively known as the state of the connection, may include such details as the IP addresses and ports involved in the connection and the sequence numbers of the packets traversing the connection.

Types of Firewalls Stateless firewall Treats each network frame (Packet) in isolation. Such a firewall has no way of knowing if any given packet is part of an existing connection, is trying to establish a new connection, or is just a rogue packet. The classic example is the File Transfer Protocol, because by design it opens new connections to random ports.

Firewall Architecture Since firewall solutions can be configured using a single system or multiple systems, the architecture used to implement the solution can be simple or complex. – – – – – Packet Filtering Router Screened Host (Bastion Host) Dual-homed Gateway Screened Subnet or Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) Firewall Appliance

Packet Filtering Router A packet filtering router is a router configured to screen packets between two networks. It routes traffic between the two networks and uses packet filtering rules to permit or deny traffic. Trusted Network Untrusted Network Filtering Router

Screened Host (Bastion Host) Router provides packet filters for some basic services Bastion host proxies more risky services Not suitable for exporting services

Screened Host (Bastion Host)

Dual-homed Gateway A dual-homed gateway firewall consists of a highly secured host system running proxy software It has two network interfaces, one on each side of the firewall . Only gateways or proxies for the services that are considered essential are installed on the system.

Screened Subnet or Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) Created between two packet filtering routers. The exterior router is the only connection between the enterprise network and the outside world The interior router does the bulk of the access control work. It filters packets The bastion host is a secure server. It provides an interconnection point between the enterprise network and the outside world for the restricted services The perimeter network connects the servers together and connects the exterior router to the interior router

?Do you need a firewall The decision to implement a firewall solution should not be made without doing some research and analysis. What does the firewall need to control or protect? In order to make a sound decision, first identify what functions the firewall would need to perform. Will it control access to and from the network, or will it protect services and users? – What would the firewall control? Access Access Access Access Access into the network out of the network between internal networks, departments, or buildings for specific groups, users or addresses to specific resources or services

?Do you need a firewall What would it need to protect? – – – – Specific machines or networks Specific services Information - private or public Users

?Do you need a firewall What impact will a firewall have on your organization, network and users? – – – – – What resources will be required to implement and maintain a firewall solution? Who will do the work? Are experienced technical personnel available for the job or will someone need to be hired from outside your organization? Is hardware available that meets the requirements to support a firewall solution? Will existing services be able to function through a firewall? What will the financial impact be on the organization? (Financial impact should include initial implementation costs, ongoing maintenance and upgrades, hardware and software costs, and technical support costs, whether the support is provided in-house or from an outside source.)

Selecting Firewall Solution In order to pick the best architecture and packet screening method for a firewall solution, the following questions should be considered: What does the firewall need to do? What additional services would be desirable? How will it fit in the existing network? How will it effect existing services and users?

Security Policy The success of any firewall solution's implementation is directly related to the existence of a well-thought-out and consistently-implemented security policy. Some of the topics a security policy may address are : Administrative Issues – – – – – – – User access - Which users will be allowed access to and from the network? Access to services - Which services will be allowed in and out of the network? Access to resources - Which resources will be available to users? User authentication - Will the organization require user authentication? Logging and auditing - Will the organization want to keep log and audit files. Policy violation consequences - What will be the consequences of policy violation? Responsibilities - Who will oversee and administer the security policy? Who has final authority on decisions?

Security Policy Technical Issues – Remote access - Will the organization allow remote access to the network? – Physical security - How will physical security of machines, one of the most obvious security elements that is often overlooked, be achieve? – Virus protection - How will the organization handle virus protection?

Implementations Software – – – – – Devil-Linux Dotdefender ipfirewall PF Symantec Hardware – – – Cisco PIX DataPower SofaWare Technologies

Conclusion Don’t make the mistake of thinking that no one will attack your network, because with the rise in automated attack tools, your network is as much at risk as every other network on the Internet . The need for firewalls has led to their ubiquity. Nearly every organization connected to the Internet has installed some sort of firewall. When choosing and implementing a firewall solution, make a decision based on the organization's needs, security policy, technical analysis, and financial resources. Solutions available today utilize different types of equipment, network configurations, and software.

Q&A Questions ?