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Firewalls

What is a Firewall?

A firewall is a network device (or collection of devices) used to secure networks from malicious traffic. Firewalls are both a reactive and proactive technology that can be designed to only permit ``known'' traffic between computers and computer networks. In a university environment, firewalls are commonly used to segment the university network from critical business resources and those resources that must meet stringent guidelines (FERPA, HIPPA, etc.). A firewall is not a panacea for computer security related problems -- only end-host security and proper security procedures will ultimately protect university computer assets. However, a firewall may assist in adding another layer in the "defense-in-depth" strategy of securing computers and networks. For this reason, a firewall may be right for you.

CSRT Firewall Services

CSRT offers firewall management and/or design for the university community to ensure firewalls are deployed according to industry standards and best practices. We will work with your existing infrastructure or recommend replacements for your existing firewall infrastructure with advanced technologies that are visible or invisible to the hosts on the network. Also, we are willing to assist you in rule base configuration according to specific policies and guidelines that your department has in place to meet.

Networks comprised of desktop workstations and "client" computers often benefit from a transparent firewall, aka. a transparent bridge. A transparent bridge will not require network modifications nor be visible to end-users -- instead, a transparent bridge will defend in accordance with specifically designed policies intended to increase the security of your client networks.

A network housing sensitive or private data should be protected by firewalls and placed on a separate network segment. These segments often are based on security levels and allow for various security and monitoring levels. We will assist you in determining the best solution for your business requirements.

Please e-mail security@depaul.edu if you are interested in hearing more about how we can assist your department in developing, deploying or managing firewalls to increase your security posture.

Requesting Firewall Changes

To request a change for CSRT managed firewalls, print this form. You will also need the appropriate PGP key for making this request. CSRT requires 48 hours to make any changes to test and production environments. We will analyze your request and make changes in accordance with our policy entitled Firewall Change Control Policies and Procedures.