Firewalls Losing Their Spark?
In simpler times, a firewall (and some anti-virus software) was all you pretty much needed to protect the network. But times have changed, hackers are more devious, networks are more complex, and company insiders are more evil. In fact, you even have to keep tabs on your own IT folks, as we explained in a cover story three years ago.
This doesn't mean we should ditch firewalls, but instead equip them with additional layers of protection. First, you should get up-to-speed on the latest in firewall configuration -- and don't simply have them at the perimeter.
After that, look for firewall technologies that protect at multiple layers of the OSI stack, including the application layer.
Posted by Doug Barney on October 01, 2009