Firewall and Honeypot - Architecture and Types

As technology advances, security risks also get bigger. But what if we had a system that could detect threats and keep us safe? In this blog, we’ll explore intrusion detection and firewalls and how they are used in industry to keep us safe.

Table of Contents

• How Does the Intrusion Detection System Work?
• Intrusion Detection Approaches
• Architecture of Firewall
• Honeypot & its Types
• Conclusion

How Does the Intrusion Detection System Work?

Any network security plan should include intrusion detection and intrusion prevention systems. An IDS will understand the content of packet headers, such as flags, options, IP addresses, and ports. IDS monitors intrusions and prevents intruders from entering the system. IPS can detect intrusion at an earlier stage, and IPS (Intrusion prevention system) is used to stop the attack from happening. IDS mostly work based on pattern matching and detection of statistical anomalies.

Intrusion Detection Approaches

There are two types of IDS approach –

1. Host-Based 

software is installed in a single system, and the data from that system is used to detect intrusions. It protects the specific computer. It also monitors the ports and triggers alerts in case any intrusion occurs in the port.

2. Network-Based

It is used to monitor multiple hosts and detect intrusions in multiple systems. Here, IDS examines the packet headers, and this enables the detection of DOS attacks.

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IDS Tools

The most popular freeware of IDS is Snort, which is used to perform real-time analysis of IP packets. Other tools for IDS are GFI LANGuard S.I.M and Tripwire. There are some commercial versions of IDS, such as ISS real secure and GFI LANGuard S.E.L.M. A Few IDS appliances are IntruShield, Cisco IDS, Top layer attack mitigator IPS, and Proventia IDS.

Architecture of Firewall

There are different types of firewall architectures based on how they function and how they are placed. Let’s see how these different firewalls function.

• Packet-Filtering Firewalls  

The packet-filtering firewall creates a checkpoint at the traffic router or switch; it checks the incoming data packets through the router. It is dropped if the information is mismatched. But these are traditional types and easy to bypass.

• Stateful Inspection Firewalls 

This firewall is a combination of packet inspection and TCP handshake verification to create a maximum level of protection. This might slow down the system.

• Circuit-Level Gateways 

This firewall works by verifying the TCP handshake, which ensures that the session is legitimate and not from an intruder. They do not check the packets, though.

Application-Level Gateways (Proxy Firewalls) 

It operates on the application layer to filter the incoming traffic between the network and the traffic source. It connects to the source of traffic and inspects the incoming traffic. They perform deep layer inspection.

• Next-gen Firewalls 

This firewall ensures deep-layer inspection, surface-level packet inspection, and TCP handshake checks. They include IPS to prevent attacks.

Honeypot & its Types

A honeypot is a security mechanism that records all the actions, transactions, and interactions with users. They are used to track the attackers and defend against the attacks. Based on their deployment types, it is classified into –

• Production Honeypots 

They are easy to use, but they capture only limited information. They are placed inside production networks to improve security.

• Research Honeypots

Works better in gathering information about attackers. They research the threats of the organization and try to prevent the threats. These are complex to deploy and maintain.

Based on design criteria, the honeypots are classified into –

• Pure Honeypots 

Activities are monitored using the honeypot’s installed link to the network.

• High interaction Honypots

Multiple honeypots in a single system. It is more secure, difficult to detect, and expensive to maintain.

• Low Interaction Honeypots

Simulate the services of attackers.

Conclusion

In this digital world, where every new tech is coming every day, it’s better to know about these intrusion systems and about the methods and applications where we can detect the threats and work on them. Organisations need to work continuously on improvements in the future if they want to work in a cyber-secure world.

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