China firewall

Types of China firewall

Firewalls are essential for controlling and monitoring network traffic. They filter between trusted and untrusted networks. The purpose of a firewall is to protect critical internal systems from illegal external access and, concurrently, to prevent critical internal systems from illegally exposing information to the outside.

China firewalls can be defined as network-based or host-based and can carry out deep packet inspection, stateful packet inspection, application layer filtering, and NAT traversal.

A network-based firewall is deployed at the network perimeter to protect the entire network. In contrast, a host-based firewall is deployed on individual hosts or endpoints to protect specific devices.

Network firewalls provide broad protection, while host firewalls offer more granular control per device. Both types work together for comprehensive cybersecurity. Firewalls filter and monitor network traffic at different OSI layers.

At layer 4, transport, firewalls check packet headers for source and destination ports and protocols. Layer 7, application, firewalls inspect data to enforce security policies based on the applications and services being accessed. This validates and controls data exchanges between applications.

Firewalls perform NAT, which hides internal IP addresses by assigning a public IP. They also ensure that packets are correctly routed by verifying information at each layer of the packet, enabling secure communication between networks.

There are two main types of firewalls: hardware and software. Hardware firewalls are standalone devices that provide network-wide protection. Software firewalls are programs installed on individual computers or servers to control their inbound and outbound traffic.

Some firewalls offer additional features like virtual private network support, intrusion prevention systems, application filtering, and Network Address Translation. Firewalls are essential for controlling network security and protecting systems and data.

Functions and features

A China firewall primarily serves to block unwanted information from entering or leaving a network. It has several features that help achieve this objective:

• Packet Filtering

  This is a fundamental technical function of firewalls. It makes the first line of defense. The function examines data packets entering or leaving a network segment and decides whether to pass them through based on predetermined criteria. The action can be either allowing or denying a packet as per the rules listed in the firewall. This method provides a mechanism for controlling traffic and preventing unauthorized access.

• Stateful Inspection

  This firewall function goes beyond just filtering packets. It keeps track of the status of every active network connection through a dynamic state table. This system analyzes the attributes of a single packet in isolation and checks it against the packet of an already established connection to determine its legitimacy. The stateful inspection is more efficient and accurate than simple firewalls, offering better protection for complex protocols such as FTP and VoIP.

• Proxy Services (Gateway Firewalls)

  A proxy firewall serves as a gateway between an internal network and the external internet. Clients connect to the proxy firewall, which then connects to the destination server on the client's behalf. It can perform deep packet inspection and logging, ensuring robust security. On the other hand, gateway firewalls are network-based systems at the intersection of two different networks. A gateway can be a proxy server, but not all gateways are proxy servers.

• Virtual Private Network (VPN)

  Firewalls encrypt internet traffic and create a secure tunnel for data transmission. It hampers data packet inspection, ensuring that privacy, integrity, and authentication are maintained during transit. By doing so, they protect sensitive information from being intercepted by outside parties, such as hackers. VPNs also help obscure the user's internet protocol (IP) address, thus enhancing safety while using the internet.

• Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (IDPS)

  Some modern firewalls have integrated intrusion detection and prevention capabilities. These systems can detect and prevent intrusions and suspicious activities on the network. They can provide real-time alerts and take automated actions to mitigate threats, enhancing the overall security posture of the network.

• Content Filtering

  This filtering helps prevent access to malicious or inappropriate websites and regulates bandwidth usage and productivity in organizations. By analyzing and controlling the content of web traffic, firewalls block the transmission of harmful or undesirable content.

• Application Layer Gateway (ALG)

  ALG is a service in a firewall that facilitates the use of certain applications, e.g., FTP, SIP, RTSP, and H.323. Some applications use dynamic ports, which can be challenging for firewalls to handle. The ALG service helps overcome this difficulty by inspecting and modifying the traffic to ensure the proper operation of such applications.

Applications of China firewall

Chinese firewalls have applications across various industries and can help achieve different objectives. Here are some of the prominent uses:

• Regulatory Compliance: The firewall helps organizations to stay compliant with data protection regulations. By controlling data leaving the network, companies using Chinese firewall systems can ensure that sensitive data doesn't leave without permission.
• Network Security: Chinese firewall manufacturers design these firewalls to protect against external threats. By monitoring and filtering incoming and outgoing traffic, they detect and block possible intrusions, thus safeguarding the integrity and security of China's internal networks from cyberattacks. Implementing a firewall system helps to improve an organization's ability to respond to, recognize, and mitigate security threats.
• Advanced Threats Prevention: This firewall can prevent various sophisticated threats. It incorporates many features, such as intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDPS) and antivirus tools, that work together to identify and stop attacks.
• Threat Intelligence: Real-time threat detection is crucial for effective cybersecurity because, without it, response and mitigation will be too late. A Chinese-made firewall provides integrated threat intelligence that improves the decision-making capabilities of China's cyber defense system.
• Situational Awareness: These firewalls improve China's cyber defense through situational awareness functions. These include traffic and event monitoring, threat intelligence, and integrated analysis.
• Performance optimization: Chinese firewall systems don't just offer security. They also improve a network's performance by enabling traffic shaping and prioritizing quality-of-service (QoS) measures.
• Application Control and Web Filtering: Chinese firewall can control and filter web content that users access. This helps block access to malicious websites or inappropriate content.

Choosing a China firewall

When buying web application firewalls for China, it is important to consider an organization’s size, features, and compliance requirements. These factors include;

• Scalability: Choose a WAF vendor that can grow with the needs of the organization. Firewalls should handle increasing application traffic and adapt to changing security needs.
• Product features: WAF features may differ depending on the vendor. It is important to consider WAF features, such as form tampering protection, DDoS mitigation, API security, and bot detection and management.
• Integration: Buying firewalls that integrate seamlessly with other security infrastructure is important. This infrastructure includes intrusion detection systems, security information and event management solutions, and identity and access management.
• Compliance: Organizations handling sensitive user data should comply with industry regulations. These regulations include CCPA, PCI DSS, and GDPR. To meet these standards, firewalls should provide encryption, data protection measures, and privacy safeguards.
• Geographic coverage and environment: Consider whether the applications protected by a WAF are on-premises, in a private cloud, in a public cloud, or in a hybrid environment. Choosing a WAF provider with sufficient geographic coverage to protect applications targeted at their end users is important.
• Customization: Buying a China firewall that allows organizations to customize rules and policies based on specific application needs and risk profiles is important. Customization also includes reporting formats, alerting thresholds, and incident response procedures.
• Reputation and expertise: Choose a vendor with a good reputation and a proven track record in application security and firewall protection. Consider vendors with extensive experience in managing Application Layer threats and incidents.
• Cost: Evaluate the total cost of ownership, including licensing and subscription fees, operational costs, and implementation costs. In the long run, low operational costs are important, especially those that offer flexibility in pricing models.

China firewall Q&A

Q1: What is a firewall in China?

A1: The Golden Shield Project, also known as the China Firewall, is a program developed by the Chinese government that aims to regulate and censor the internet.

Q2: What are the features of China’s firewall?

A2: China’s firewall relies on advanced technology, legal regulations, and socio-political control. It employs a filtering system based on content, such as the social media platform WeChat.

Q3: What are the different types of firewalls?

A3: Firewalls can be divided into several types, including software, hardware, next generation, and cloud firewalls.

Q4: What are the benefits of a China firewall?

A4: The China firewall protects users from harmful content on the internet, boosts productivity through reduced distractions, and helps businesses comply with local regulations.

Q5: What is the role of a firewall?

A5: A firewall acts as a barrier between a trusted system and networks that are not trusted, protecting the former from malicious attacks.