Next-generation firewalls (NGFWs) offer advanced security features and capabilities to protect against today’s threats. They are based on newer security technologies and combine web filtering, intrusion prevention, application control, and network traffic inspection.

NGFWs also integrate threat intelligence, which helps them detect and block unknown malware attacks. This is essential since the malware landscape is changing all the time.

Scalability

Next-generation firewalls are designed to deliver more security, capacity, and functionality. They also perform better than traditional firewalls, especially for large enterprises and service providers.

They use machine learning and artificial intelligence to analyze network traffic in real-time, learn from the data, and dynamically adjust security protocols to ensure maximum protection.

There are various reasons to invest in NGFW, like protecting networks from sophisticated, automated cyberattacks that leverage advanced tactics and techniques to gain unauthorized access. They also provide a first line of defense against malware and ransomware, which continue to plague businesses and organizations worldwide.

NGFWs also integrate identity management and behavior analysis, capturing business intent and enforcing granular access controls.

Integrated Threat Prevention

Integrated threat prevention capabilities allow security teams to detect and respond to cyberattacks quickly, proactively and accurately. This can mean distinguishing between a successful attack and one that damages or destroys business data and operations.

Modern threats are more complex than ever. As bad actors target new vectors, including unvetted endpoints under BYOD policies, web portals and IoT devices, the need for a defense-in-depth approach is growing stronger.

To combat this growing threat, organizations must be able to detect, prevent and mitigate attacks in real time. This can be done with a wide range of network security technologies.

NGFWs incorporate deep packet inspection (DPI) to examine each packet for potential threats, including malware signatures. They also integrate machine learning and artificial intelligence to detect threats before they cause any damage.

NGFWs can collect and analyze traffic in real time, learn from the data, and adjust their security protocols dynamically for maximum protection. This makes NGFWs a highly effective tool to protect networks against sophisticated and complex cybersecurity threats. CISOs increasingly prioritize investment in solutions to help their organization defend against the growing threat landscape.

Zero Trust

Next-generation firewalls (NGFW) use traditional firewalls’ capabilities and apply them at the network, application, and protocol levels to prevent attacks. NGFWs also improve upon packet filtering by performing deep packet inspection (DPI) that examines the contents of every packet, including malware signatures and suspicious activities.

Unlike traditional firewalls that work on a deny/allow basis, NGFWs can be configured to allow only the relevant applications to the business while blocking access to harmful applications or data elements. This gives employees more granular control over their access to company resources, which is essential for a zero-trust security strategy.

NGFWs also use several powerful security features unavailable on legacy firewalls, such as threat intelligence and advanced threat protection. However, these technologies are notoriously CPU-intensive, and NGFWs are often built using off-the-shelf components, making them expensive to deploy and inefficient to manage.

In-depth Visibility

An ordinary firewall blocks or allows data based on where it is going, whether or not it is part of a legitimate network connection, and where it comes from. An NGFW takes this further and inspects each packet of data to identify threats hidden in normal-seeming traffic.

Unlike traditional firewalls, which only look at 5-tuple information to identify traffic, an NGFW can distinguish applications corresponding to each packet. This enables a higher level of visibility and control.

Differentiating applications also helps network administrators determine if specific applications or devices are authorized to access a particular network portion. This can save money on bandwidth by preventing overloaded networks and ensuring that only authorized users can interact with sensitive information.

Additionally, an NGFW can prevent cyber attacks by detecting malware and preventing command and control (C&C) traffic. A firewall can decrypt encrypted traffic and check it for malicious content. This capability can help fend off hackers who use HTTPS encryption to hide their C&C activity.

Powerful Management

The powerful management capabilities of NGFW can help organizations stay one step ahead of cyberattacks. They provide visibility into what happens in and across networks, which threats are active, and which devices are being targeted.

NGFWs also can reduce the risk of network attacks through features like IP packet fragmentation and TCP segmentation. Fragmentation makes it easier to evade detection by sending parts of a packet to different destinations, and TCP segmentation reduces bandwidth overhead.

Another powerful feature of NGFWs is their ability to monitor and decrypt SSL/TLS communications. This helps to identify and prevent threats that are rooted in encrypted communications.

Security automation also allows networks to respond quickly to detected threats and implement policy changes in real-time. This automation can significantly cut down on the workload of network and security teams, which is a massive benefit for many enterprises.

Forcepoint has a variety of next-generation firewall appliances that can be deployed on-premises or in the cloud, virtual or container environments. Each model provides centralized management, industry-leading integrated security, and the dependability needed for modern network security.