Addressing the Common Errors in Firewall Configuration

A firewall can be the most effective way to protect your company data. However, it will only work in your best favors if it is configured properly. Below are some of the common errors that you may come across in firewall configuration, along with a few tips to avoid such mistakes.

Using Non-Standard Authentication Methods

This approach can leave you vulnerable to many kinds of cybersecurity risks. If you are not using a standard authentication method, you will be relying totally on the person who set up the firewall for you. In some cases, users count on the default settings of the firewall. Yet you need to stick to a recognized standard in order to boost the security of your computer network.

Many problems can crop up if you do not use a single standard authentication method, such as when users try to log in to their accounts from a remote location or on a different device. For instance, a non-standard authentication method will only allow weaker passwords or will have no robust measures in place to limit the number of login attempts. These security lags can lead to big concerns when a cybercriminal breaches your network.

If your organization has remote employees or multiple locations, then you should ensure that all the locations follow the same standard authentication method. This will help to get rid of the weak points in your network security.

Having Open Policy Configurations

If your firewall allows traffic from any source to any destination, then you can be at a higher risk of data loss. Most of the IT teams use such open policy configurations in scenarios where there is no specific instruction on what is needed. Keeping up with the broad rules makes things very easy for them to set up the firewall and tweak configurations later if required. However, most IT teams forget defining more specific security policies later leaves the network vulnerable to cyberattacks.

Therefore, your IT team should ensure that only the minimum level of privileges is given to the users that will be enough for their job roles. At the same time, it is also important to check firewall policies from time to time and see how the applications are used. This way, you can re-evaluate the privileges given to the users.

Deploying Dangerous Management Services

If you leave any unnecessary services running on the firewall, it can compromise the security of your network. Rogue DHCP servers and dynamic routing are the usual culprits here which distribute IP addresses randomly and lead to IP conflicts. Again, the solution to this vulnerability is to provide only the lowest level of privileges that are required by the services to function normally.

You should also configure the devices depending on your usage and the functions that you need to complete. That is because allowing multiple services to run on the firewall at the same time can affect the performance of the system as well and lead to increased network load.

Not Logging Outputs from Security Devices

You should log outputs from all the security devices so that you can know if you are under an attack. You can also use the log files to look into how the breach happened and address the network security flaws. This will help you derive a better risk management solution for your company. Therefore, monitor logs for remote accounts, non-business hours, admin accounts, as well as all other high-risk areas that could help you spot red flags.