How do you secure firewalls from cyber attacks?

It is important to ensure that your firewall is secure by setting up appropriate firewall rules, disabling any services that are not necessary, and using strong passwords. It is also crucial to keep your firewall up-to-date by installing the latest security updates provided by the vendor. This will help to protect your firewall from potential attacks. Using an appliance firewall instead of a software firewall can provide greater security since it is not susceptible to the same software vulnerabilities that a software firewall may have.

You should consider if you need to use software firewall, hardware firewall, hybrid or all. You should see what are risks in your environment and cyber attacks and see if your firewall has features to address them. Also it should facilitate protection against future attacks.

The size and complexity of your network: If you have a small network with a few devices, you may be able to get away with a simple firewall. However, if you have a large and complex network, you will need a more sophisticated firewall. The type of traffic that you need to protect: Do you need to protect your network from external threats, or do you also need to protect it from internal threats? If you need to protect your network from both external and internal threats, you will need a firewall that can do both. The level of security that you need: How much security do you need for your network? If you are storing sensitive data, you will need a firewall with a high level of security.

Some ways to secure firewall from cyber attacks are: Block traffic by default and monitor user access. This reduces the attack surface and prevents unauthorized access to the network. Follow the principle of least privilege. This limits the potential damage that can be caused by compromised accounts or devices. Specify source IP addresses and destination ports. It adds another layer of security and control over the network traffic. Disable insecure protocols and enable auditing. Open the firewall ports that users expect. This means that the firewall should allow the traffic that is necessary for the network services and applications to function properly, such as web, email, FTP, etc. However, unnecessary or unused.

Use the principle of least privilege: This means that you should only allow the minimum necessary access for your network functions. For example, if you only need to allow web traffic, you should only create a rule that allows web traffic. Use specific and granular rules: This means that you should use specific IP addresses, ports, protocols, or applications in your rules. For example, instead of creating a rule that allows all traffic from the internet, you should create a rule that allows traffic from specific IP addresses or ports. Review and update your rules regularly: This is important to ensure that your rules are still relevant and effective. As your network changes, you may need to add or remove rules.

--From my experience in FortiNet-- Require: -Logins from trusted host IPs -HTTPS and SSH access -2FA for administrators -TLS 1.3 for administrator access Create: -Separate account for each person requiring administrative access -Administrator profiles that limit access to only what is required by each administrative account Change: -Default accounts' name and password -HTTPS and SSH admin access ports to non-standard ports (avoiding conflicts with ports for other services) Limit: -The administrator password retries and lockout time -The time between making an SSH connection and authenticating (limits the chances of a successful brute force attack) -The idle timeout Disable: -Administrative access to the internet-facing interface

There is a small chance while using SSH to gain remote access, to be locked out due to SSH cache/buffer. Is there by any mean a way for someone to mange gain access due to this caching issue?

Testing your firewall's performance is important. The most critical consideration is configuring the firewall according to the expected network traffic. Most vendors will have documentation regarding how to spec your firewall based on network traffic throughput. This should also take into consideration expected spikes in traffic. It can be easy to bump the performance of your firewall up if it is virtualized and testing reveals inadequacies. However, for physical firewalls, you will have to plan more thoroughly and account for growth as these devices cannot easily be given more resources at a moment's notice.

Additionally, stay on top of all vulnerabilities associated with your firewall, you would be surprised how often new ones come up for all vendors.

I feel that there are 5 ways to secure firewall from cyber attacks are: Block traffic by default and monitor user access. This reduces the attack surface and prevents unauthorized access to the network. Follow the principle of least privilege. This limits the potential damage that can be caused by compromised accounts or devices. Specify source IP addresses and destination ports. It adds another layer of security and control over the network traffic. Disable insecure protocols and enable auditing. Open the firewall ports that users expect. This means that the firewall should allow the traffic that is necessary for the network services and applications to function properly, such as web, email, FTP, etc. However, unnecessary or unused.

When it comes to Network Security Devices, best solution to implement is running monthly PCI and CIS Benchmark Compliance Scan. Based on the scan results, fix all the recommended failed configuration controls. This way you can achieve mandatory compliance and secure your network devices with due diligence. Having a close watch of any security vulnerabilities and addressing them within recommended timeframe either considering due date from your product vendor or consider CISA recommended due dates to fix vulnerabilities.