Firewalls: The Present security paradigm

Basically, a firewall is a barrier to keep destructive forces away from your property. In fact, that's why its called a firewall. Its job is similar to a physical firewall that keeps a fire from spreading from one area to the next. A network firewall performs exactly the same role, protecting an asset inside the firewall from a hazard on the outside. Firewalls are often used to protect an organization from hazards on the Internet but they can, and probably should, also be used within an organization to separate different departments, working areas or networks. Locked offices and buildings cannot protect information if the computers holding it are open to everyone on the network. The importance of securing an organization's internal network has always been high. In today's world of technology hackers, viruses, mal-ware, and identity theft, companies both large and small have found that properly securing their networks is a never-ending challenge. An essential component of achieving effective security is the network firewall. There are many different types of firewalls available, all varying greatly in configuration, capability, and complexity. This document discusses not only the different firewall types, but also provides some best-practice suggestions for configuration and administration Keywords: Hyper Text Transfer Protocol(HTTP), IP Security(IPSEC), Gateways, Virus, Choke Points, Spams, Botnets, Zombies