Firewall Audit: Why Is It Necessary and How to Do It Correctly

Firewall Auditing Services

Firewall audits assist you in identifying flaws in your network’s security posture and determining areas where your security policies must be customised. They assure stakeholders that you have maintained your company up to date by assessing policy controls and security controls on a regular basis, and they put you in a position to respond to a breach or security issue.

Firewall Auditing Is Crucial

Installing a firewall is critical for removing harmful traffic from your company’s network. Firewalls identify harmful payloads using signature patterns and unlawful traffic using rule patterns. Signatures, on the other hand, must be updated as malicious payloads get more complex and change at a rapid pace.

How to Conduct a Firewall Audit

To conduct a firewall audit, follow these steps.

1. Gather Crucial Information
You won’t be able to conduct a successful audit unless you have complete insight into your network’s hardware, software, policies, and hazards. What you’ll need is as follows:

1. A list of all internet service providers (ISPs) and virtual private networks (VPNs) (VPNs).
2. Documents and reports from previous audits include firewall objects, rules, and policy changes.
3. Copies of security policies are available.
4. Analysis of firewall logs is permitted.
5. Information about the firewall vendor, such as the operating system version, default settings, and the most recent fixes.

2. Examine the operating system and physical security.

Make certain that you can neutralise typical cyber threats from both the physical and software protection of your firewall.

1. Implement controlled access to secure firewall and management servers.
2. Examine the protocols in place for device administration.
3. Examine whether the operating system passes typical hardening checklists.
4. Examine the implementation of vendor fixes and upgrades.
5. Maintain a list of authorised individuals who have access to the firewall server rooms.

3. Evaluate the Change Management Process
A consistent change management mechanism allows for appropriate execution and tracing of firewall updates. Inadequate change documentation and untrustworthy validation of how the changes affect the network cause a slew of problems. Examine the following processes for rule-base change management:

1. Is anyone putting the adjustments to the test?
2. How are the suggested modifications being approved?
3. Who is in charge of putting the reforms into action?
4. You must verify that a formal procedure is followed.

4. Reduce Clutter and Strengthen the Rule Base

Clean up your firewall and optimise the rule base to take your firewall performance and IT efficiency to the next level.

1. Remove any covered rules that are no longer needed.
2. Unused and expired objects and rules should be disabled.
3. Firewall rules should be prioritised in terms of performance and efficacy.
4. Remove any unwanted connections, including routes that are no longer in use.
5. Make use of object-naming standards.
6. Examine VPN settings to identify expired and unattached groups, expired and unattached users, expired and unattached users, and unused users.
7. Determine permissive rules by comparing policy usage to firewall logs.
8. Find comparable rules and combine them into a single rule.

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