Where do we begin with protection? An important aspect of protection online are firewalls. A firewall controls and filters what information comes inside a single computer or a whole network. Knowing this information, you may think all firewalls do the same thing. But, the different types of firewalls include:
- Network Layer Firewalls that filter based on IP addresses.
- Transport Layer Firewalls that filter based on source.
- Application Layer Firewalls that filter based on service.
- Context-Aware Application Firewalls that filter based on the user.
- Proxy Servers that filter based on web content.
- Reverse Proxy Servers that are placed in front of web servers.
- Network Address Translation Servers that hide private addresses.
- Host-Based Firewalls that filter ports on a single operating system.
We know that security works best when appliances are working together. For example, a firewall alongside antivirus software. What security appliances can you think of? Some common security devices include:
- Virtual Private Networks (VPN). VPNs work by creating a private network via secure encryption tunnelling.
- Routers which have the same capacities as a firewall.
- Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS).
- Malware and Antivirus software.
When you think of online attacks you might picture a big, dangerous, anonymous attack. These attacks are known as zero-day attacks, and they do happen. However, whilst the most favourable scenario would be to prevent these attacks altogether, this is not always possible Instead, organisations try to see how quickly they can respond to an attack when it happens. This is done by a process called real-time scanning from edge to the endpoint where active scanning of attacks occurs, aided by the help of online global threat centres.
To conclude, it is important for individuals and organisations to protect their online data as soon as possible.
