FIREWALL AND HACKING

What is a Firewall?

A Firewall is a network security device that monitors and filters incoming and outgoing network traffic based on an organization's previously established security policies. A firewall is simply the barrier that stands between a private internal network and the open Internet at its most basic level. The primary function of a firewall is to let safe traffic through while blocking harmful traffic.

WHY ARE FIREWALLS NEEDED?

Next-Generation Firewalls, in particular, concentrate on thwarting malware and application-layer assaults. These Next-Generation Firewalls are equipped with an integrated intrusion prevention system (IPS), enabling them to respond swiftly and flawlessly to threats throughout the network. Firewalls may conduct rapid assessments to detect intrusive or suspect behaviour, such as malware, and can be configured to act on previously specified policies to further safeguard your network. You may configure your network with specific policies to allow or prohibit incoming and outgoing traffic by using a firewall as your security infrastructure.

TYPES OF FIREWALLS

PACKET FILTERING FIREWALL: This kind of firewall checks the source address, destination address, source port, destination port, and protocol information in the TCP packet header at the TCP level. They either approve or refuse the packets based on this information in accordance with the specified guidelines.

CIRCUIT LEVEL FIREWALL: They work at the session layer while the connections are filtered. They search for trusted connections before the packets are delivered and apply filters depending on those connections.

APPLICATION FIREWALL: They are also known as proxy firewalls and operate at the application layer, filtering packets at the application level. Different rules can be used at the proxy to filter the data. In order to secure the internal network from connections from outside sources, the web servers that internet users typically use are put outside the internal network and used as proxy servers.

STATEFUL FIREWALL: This is the result of combining the three firewalls. It works at the Network Layer and filters application data, transport-level packets, and session-level connections. This features a rules table and a state table that keeps track of the status of numerous connections. Sequence numbers are also tracked in order to defend against related assaults.

FIREWALL HACKING

Defending a system from hacker attacks becomes more efficient once the approach of a cyber attack is tried and tested upon the system.

There are plenty of ways to approach a firewall attack, and we shall discuss some of the most widely used ones here.

1)Encrypted Injection Attacks:

Businesses with outdated firewalls or those without "deep packet inspection," or DPI, are particularly at risk from this sort of hack. Simply said, a firewall with DPI will look for malicious code, malware, and other network security risks in all data packets entering and departing your network.

Phishing emails are frequently used to deploy encrypted injection attacks. The email will mislead the recipient into clicking a link that will download encrypted code onto the computer. This code might be common malware, fileless malware, or a backdoor for data access.

2)DNS Leaking :

Even though breaking into the network may be difficult, once inside, they are free to leak data in any way they see fit. Your firewall won't notice an issue if it isn't checking what is leaving the network.

These networks restrict the types of communication permitted to exit the network, only permitting the three internet access-related protocols HTTP, HTTPS, and DNS. Data can still be leaked over DNS, albeit slowly, even though this strategy means that a hacker wouldn't have the same number of exits as in our last case.

This might become a problem if your firewall permits all outgoing DNS traffic. As a result, check that your firewall protects incoming and outgoing traffic.

3) IOT attacks:

Internet-enabled devices like smartwatches and smart home technologies are a common attack vectors. IoT devices are also notoriously difficult to update, or a third party manages them without regular updates.

For instance, a set of flaws known as FragAttacks made it possible for hackers to insert data into Wi-Fi transmission. There are billions of Wi-Fi-enabled gadgets that have these flaws. With the use of one of the most dangerous FragAttacks, hackers were able to force Wi-Fi devices to utilize an unauthorized DNS server to direct users to malicious websites.

Additionally, almost all contemporary IoT devices include a Universal Plug-and-Play (UPnP) function that enables interoperability. These devices can easily get by firewalls and transfer malware to the router since they use an automated protocol.

CONCLUSION

A firewall allows for monitoring the traffic in your network and protecting your system against any mishaps. It also allows for increased protection against spyware and helps prevent viruses and various cyberattacks.

Firewalls, in short, promote privacy and allow users to keep a safe system of theirs in check and under protection. However, a firewall's limitations include its inability to defend against social engineering or phishing attempts, which account for 99 per cent of cyberattacks. Firewalls also need a lot of maintenance; when new threats surface, suppliers offer updates to address them. While some of those updates may be implemented automatically, the majority do so with the help of an IT administrator.

Regardless, Firewalls are irreplaceable and are widely used for protection and prevention from various attacks.

What is BugBase?

BugBase is a curated marketplace for ethical hackers that helps businesses and startups set up bug bounty programs. It is India's first consolidated bug bounty platform, which assists organizations in staying safe by providing an all-in-one platform for continuous and comprehensive security testing.

Through BugBase registering and setting up your organisation’s bug bounty program is no less than a breeze. We also provide hackers and security professionals with the platform to directly get connected with organizations that have set up their bug bounty programs and get rewarded for the risks and vulnerabilities they find.

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