Chapter 1. Introduction to Firewalls

This chapter provides a brief overview of firewalls ”what they can and cannot do. It is not meant to comprehensively cover the topic of firewalls or network security in general. These topics are better covered by more general texts . In this chapter, you will explore some of the technologies used in firewalls, investigate which technologies are used by FireWall-1, and establish why FireWall-1 is the right firewall for you. Examples of how a given technology handles a specific service are also provided.

By the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

• Understand what a firewall is and is not capable of

• Understand what technologies firewalls typically employ

• Discuss the pros and cons of different firewall technologies

• Understand why FireWall-1 is the right firewall for the job