What is a Virtual Firewall?
A virtual firewall is a cloud-based security appliance that sits at the perimeter of a network and examines the traffic coming into and out of it. While traditional firewall appliances would be deployed physically alongside their server stacks, modern virtualization has allowed the firewall to be deployed and managed as a cloud-based appliance. This allows the security team to define their SD-WAN network traffic from a visual dashboard, and more easily apply the firewall protection to cloud and virtual servers.
Cómo funciona un firewall virtual
firewall virtuales se implementan comúnmente como una máquina virtual dentro de un entorno basado en la nube o mediante una oferta FWaaS. Esto permite a una organización aprovechar la flexibilidad y escalabilidad de la nube también en su seguridad.
Como cualquier firewall, un firewall virtual o en la nube debe poder inspeccionar el tráfico que ingresa y sale de su red protegida. Un firewall virtual tiene un par de opciones para hacerlo:
- Modo puente: un firewall virtual se puede implementar como un firewall físico, ubicado directamente en la ruta del tráfico. Esto le permite inspeccionar y permitir o bloquear cualquier tráfico que intente entrar o salir del entorno virtual por el puente.
- API nativas de la nube: muchos servicios en la nube ofrecen una API, como AWS VPC Traffic Mirroring, que proporciona visibilidad de los flujos de tráfico en la implementación de la nube de una organización. firewall virtual también puede aprovechar este toque de red virtual para realizar una inspección del tráfico que ingresa y sale del entorno virtual protegido.
Esta visibilidad permite que un firewall en la nube aplique sus políticas de seguridad integradas y cualquier capacidad de seguridad integrada, como el análisis de espacio aislado de contenido sospechoso. Dependiendo de los ajustes de implementación y configuración, el firewall también se puede configurar para bloquear intentos de ataques o generar alertas.
Los diferentes tipos de firewall virtuales pueden tener características adicionales que los hacen ideales para proteger entornos basados en la nube. Por ejemplo, el uso de objetos dinámicos por parte de Check Point permite que las políticas de seguridad se definan de una manera que permita que cada puerta de enlace que utilice la política resuelva ciertos valores de manera diferente. Esto hace posible definir políticas de seguridad generales que se aplican de manera consistente en toda la infraestructura de TI de la organización y que tienen valores específicos, como direcciones IP, que se establecen en función de la integración del firewall con las etiquetas de las aplicaciones en la nube.
How is a Firewall Made Virtual?
Traditional networking appliances require dedicated hardware for each network function: the firewall is one of the most well-established pieces of hardware within the security stack. In this setup, incoming traffic is routed to the firewall that is plugged into the router, where it’s analyzed, before being forwarded to the internal network’s own switches. Sometimes, hardware firewall apps can be built into the router itself. The onboard memory then executes the security policies and routes traffic on to the internal networks. Usage trends are stored temporarily onboard; these can be extracted and analyzed by other security tools like security information and event management (SIEM).
The firewall analyzes every packet of data that is sent to the protected network, filtering traffic according to its criteria. This includes protocol type, source and destination IP addresses, port numbers, and previous behavior. If a packet does not comply with these rules, the firewall prevents it from passing through. In physical networks, these rules are uploaded to the physical appliance. However, continuing to rely on a hardware firewall can lock admin teams into expensive upgrade cycles as a business – and its network traffic – grows.
Separating compute power from a physical machine has been the defining process of the last decade’s worth of cloud transformation. Network Function Virtualization (NFV) allows firewalls to be virtualized through a type of software called a hypervisor. This segments a physical machine into multiple virtual machines – each of which can run independently. This then allows a firewall to be purchased and deployed as software: traffic on-route to the network is routed via this cloud-based, virtual firewall. An organization then maintains the virtual firewall, changing rules and viewing ongoing activity through a visual dashboard.
Por qué se necesita un firewall virtual
Un firewall virtual está diseñado para brindar muchas de las mismas protecciones que los dispositivos de firewall físicos tradicionales, pero como una solución nativa de la nube. Esto les permite abordar varias necesidades de seguridad:
- Inspección de tráfico Norte-Sur: los recursos basados en la nube se implementan fuera del perímetro de la red corporativa tradicional y son directamente accesibles desde la Internet pública. Implementar un dispositivo de firewall virtual para inspeccionar y filtrar el tráfico entrante y saliente de estos recursos basados en la nube es esencial para protegerlos contra compromisos y posibles fugas de datos.
- Inspección de tráfico este-oeste: incluso si una organización controla el acceso a sus recursos basados en la nube, la inspección de los flujos de datos de este a oeste dentro del entorno de una organización también es un aspecto vital de la ciberseguridad. Los ciberdelincuentes con acceso a la red de una organización comúnmente se mueven lateralmente a través de ella para alcanzar recursos sensibles y lograr sus objetivos finales. Con una cantidad cada vez mayor de datos confidenciales y funcionalidades implementadas en la nube, realizar una inspección de contenido y aplicar políticas de seguridad en estos flujos de tráfico de este a oeste es importante para proteger los recursos basados en la nube, lo que hace que un firewall virtual sea esencial.
- Ubicación de implementación: un porcentaje cada vez mayor de la infraestructura de una organización se implementa en entornos virtualizados, como la nube. Proteger estos entornos con un dispositivo de firewall físico a menudo no es una opción viable, ya que estos dispositivos no se pueden implementar en el sitio y enrutar el tráfico a través de la red de la sede para la inspección de seguridad no es una opción viable. Un firewall virtual o en la nube permite a una organización implementar el mismo nivel de seguridad en un factor de forma diseñado y adecuado para su entorno de implementación.
- Flexibilidad y escalabilidad: firewall virtuales se implementan comúnmente como una solución de seguridad en entornos de nube. Las organizaciones suelen utilizar la nube por su flexibilidad y escalabilidad integradas, por lo que la seguridad en la nube también debe poder adaptarse a los requisitos cambiantes. Por esta razón, el uso de firewall virtual (potencialmente a través de un serviciofirewall como servicio (FWaaS) que ofrece acceso a protección bajo demanda) es una solución ideal para proteger estos entornos basados en la nube, especialmente con la capacidad de automatizar la implementación común. pasos de aprovisionamiento y configuración.
Virtual vs Physical Firewall Use Cases
Since virtual firewalls are so different from their hardware-based counterparts, their ideal use cases differ accordingly. Virtual firewall solutions are best suited for cloud-native applications and rapidly changing network infrastructure. In contrast, physical firewalls excel in high-performance scenarios, centralized on-premises security, and protecting legacy systems.
Centralized, On-Premises Networks
Hardware firewalls are architecturally well-suited to centralized, hub-and-spoke model networks. This is because they are implemented as a single security device alongside a single serverstack. Should an enterprise rely on a simple, central network model similar to this, a hardware-based approach can prove effective.
Sprawling, Hybrid Networks
Virtual firewall benefits are best realized when an organization wants to secure sprawling, or cloud-based networks. Virtual firewalls provide a central management hub, even across swathes of an organization’s containerized applications, microservices, and private clouds. This means they are far better suited to hybrid or very distributed network environments, as one single management plane can allow a team to alter rules in different areas of the business. This helps build consistent firewall protection across different zones.
VPN Compatibility
When provisioning access for remote employees, many companies choose Virtual Private Network (VPN) tools. However, because these VPNs encrypt remote workers’ individual connections to internal resources, traditional firewalls can struggle to analyze the encrypted traffic. Both virtual and physical firewalls can effectively analyze VPN traffic, but they have different strengths depending on the network environment and use case.
Virtualized firewalls are a better fit for cloud-based VPN servers – they are also well-suited to new or temporary VPN accounts, such as those set up for temporary work staff and contractors.
Low Budget, or Time
In terms of initial cost and time, a software-based firewall is relatively cheap and rapid to implement. Some come with a free trial, and after that, a relatively low monthly fee. Most virtual firewalls charge based on usage, or throughput, allowing for costs to remain consistent with real usage.
Software-based firewalls are also faster to set up: virtual firewall configuration often requires installation and a few setting tweaks to begin securing traffic. Hardware firewalls, on the other hand, demand physical installation, suitable wiring and space dedication, and proper network positioning and design – changing these down the line then requires the same intensive process. Plus adding new appliances or devices means electrical and cooling considerations must be taken for each firewall that is installed. On the other hand, public cloud providers are responsible for the physical infrastructure for virtual firewalls.
Data Center Protection
Physical firewall appliances are generally better suited to intensely high-throughput applications, like data centers. This is due to the proximity of their compute power, which can be provided instantaneously from the onboard memory. This also allows for drastic fluctuations in network traffic to be suitably analyzed and processed, with no perceivable impact on latency.
This robust processing capability makes hardware firewalls an ideal choice for organizations experiencing rapid growth or those operating in high-demand sectors where uninterrupted network availability is mission-critical. Some virtual firewall challenges in this use case can include volatile pricing structures and the added latency of traffic being re-routed to a cloud-based analysis engine. Hardware firewalls can be a better fit for data centers since they operate independently from other network components: this frees up server and device resources that can then be fully optimized for their primary network task.
Gain Cloud Security with Check Point CloudGuard
Choosing a virtual firewall can be a critical move toward securing your cloud infrastructure. Check Point CloudGuard Network Security offers a cloud-native firewall that delivers unified, industry-leading threat prevention across hybrid and cloud-based networks.
Boasting a malware identification rate of 99.9%, operational efficiency is championed through automation and native integration with tools like Ansible and Terraforms, , CloudGuard Network Security supports automated playbooks and API-based responses. With a security blueprint that promotes architectural best practices and auto scaling up and down based on network traffic, CloudGuard Network Security customers are able to design highly available and secure deployments with tight network segmentation. Explore the wealth of CloudGuard Network Security firewall features with a demo today, or request pricing and start realizing cloud-first security.
