Instead of looking at each connection as a whole, it can filter packets at the application level, and even inspect each packet’s content, making it suitable for a wide range of use cases. This combination allows next generation firewalls (NGFWs) to protect against the latest security threats, such as advanced malware, and application-layer attacks, without requiring extra third party solutions.Īs opposed to the stateful firewall, which works at layer 4 in the OSI model (the transport layer), the next generation firewall (NGFW)can operate up to layer 7 (the application layer). These technologies include threat intelligence, application control, deep packet inspection (DPI), and integrated intrusion prevention systems (IPS).

A stateful firewall is one of the most standard types of network firewall today.Īs a further level of threat protection, a next generation firewall goes beyond basic port and protocol inspection, to combine the functions of traditional, stateful network-based firewall technology with other network device filtering technologies. This type of firewall doesn’t require much processing power and can handle high traffic volumes.

Each connection is approved when it first connects, and then continues to be able to send and receive as long as it remains connected. A traditional firewall does not analyze individual data packets in isolation, rather it analyzes the state of each connection as a whole. This type of packet filtering includes looking at details of the connection, such as its protocol and port, as well as whether the connection is meeting the organization’s network security policies. This is also known as ‘dynamic packet filtering’. Traditional firewalls, also known as stateful firewalls, monitor the full state of all active network connection sessions, and analyze the complete context of data and traffic packets before they are allowed to enter the network. The difference in traditional and next generation firewalls lies in the way the firewall technology evaluates network traffic.

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