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Firewalls check what’s allowed to come into – and out of – your devices, preventing data theft, malware, and online fraud. They are a critical component of any cybersecurity solution and, as the first line of defense, they are one of the most widely known and trusted technologies in the market. Firewalls protect all types of networks — from the cloud to branch offices and hybrid environments. They can offer a wide range of benefits, from basic traffic filtering to modern capabilities like deep learning and automation that stop sophisticated threats in real time.

Static packet-filtering firewalls judge data packets based on criteria such as IP addresses, ports, and package protocols. They essentially prevent two networks from communicating without authorization and require each connection to be reapproved with each new data packet. However, they can be tricked into letting harmful connections through by spoofing the packets’ apparent source or destination address.

Stateful inspection firewalls can mitigate this vulnerability by checking each incoming packet to determine whether it matches a known malicious pattern. They can also examine data packets in more depth to detect and block attacks that exploit underlying protocol mechanics (like DNS spoofing). However, this takes a toll on network performance.

Application-level gateways, sometimes called proxy firewalls, are a more advanced type of firewall that vets data based on its contents and application protocols. They can help prevent exploitation of popular applications, such as web browsers, instant messaging tools, and virtual private networks. They can be deployed in hardware or software, and they can offer granular access control.