What Is an Application Firewall? Why should I install one? How does it work?
What Is an Application Firewall?
An application Firewall is an application layer firewall that protects the network from attacks that try to exploit applications. It is designed to protect both the application and the network itself. Also, Application firewalls are frequently used to prevent vulnerabilities in an application from being exploited.
By using an application firewall, an organization can make its applications secure from attack. An application firewall is a software or hardware component. It provides a form of security enforcement at the application layer of a communication session on the Internet, or any computer network.
Application firewalls control network access by filtering traffic between two hosts. Thus, enforcing acceptable communication protocol sequences, and preventing certain kinds of unwanted traffic from reaching its target.
Intrusion Prevention Into the Internal Network
Application firewalls are intended to be placed in line between the Internet and an organization’s internal network. This is done to protect against hackers who try to exploit software vulnerabilities in applications used by that organization. They also prevent intrusions into the internal network and compromise of sensitive data residing thereon.
Application Firewall is an integrated software and hardware solution. It monitors information traveling between two computers or networks over a network connection. A single machine may serve as both an application firewall and a gateway firewall, depending on how it is configured.
A gateway firewall is typically located at the main entrance point for incoming traffic on a network. So, it functions as a screening device for all data entering that network from outside. An application firewall is usually located between individual computer networks.
This can monitor traffic flow and block any unwanted information from accessing protected systems or networks. Also, the term “firewall” refers to this security function of isolating one portion of a computer network from another subnetwork. So, this is by controlling information flow across the junction point between them.
Packet Filtering Firewall
A firewall uses packet filtering to allow or disallow the flow of specific types of network traffic. A firewall may operate in either:
1. An autonomous mode where it makes its own security decisions based on a set of rules
2. A more interactive mode where a human being selects the rules to be applied
Firewalls operate at the network layer of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) reference model. These firewalls are considered Layer 3 devices because they operate above the transport layer. So, it is Layer 4 in the OSI model. In this model, networks are broken into subnets.
Each subnet has a separate physical connection and is logically isolated from other subnets. So, the firewall protects one or more subnets. In a typical scenario, a connection is made from one subnet to another through a router or gateway device.
The gateway device has two network interface cards. Also, this is one connected to each network which makes forwarding decisions based on rules that have been programmed into it. When the Internet became widely known in the late 20th century, many organizations wanted to make their internal networks accessible to remote users.
This includes other organizations to exchange information and conduct business online. Thus, they deployed a firewall to protect sensitive or proprietary information that might be accessed by outside users over public or unsecured networks.