Firewalls Testing

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This article is part of the guide about “Firewalls and Firewall Policy in your Network”. The starting article is Firewalls and Network Architectures.
Before installing new firewalls in your network,  they should be tested and evaluated  to ensure that they are working properly. Testing should be completed on a test network  (not in the production network)  without connectivity to the production network.

This test network should attempt to replicate the production network as faithfully as possible, including the network topology and network traffic that would travel through the firewall.

Aspects of the solution to evaluate include the following:

• Connectivity. Users can establish and maintain connections through the firewall, and traffic that is specifically allowed by the security policy is permitted.
• Blocking. All traffic that is not allowed by the security policy is blocked.
• Application Compatibility. Host-based or personal firewall solutions do not break or interfere with the use of existing software applications. This includes network communications between application components.
• Management. Administrators can configure and manage the solution effectively and securely.
• Logging. Logging and data management function in accordance with the organization’s policies and strategies.
• Performance. Solutions provide adequate performance during normal and peak usage. In many cases, the best way to test performance under the load of a prototype implementation is to use simulated traffic generators on a live test network to mimic the actual characteristics of expected traffic as closely as possible. Testing should incorporate a variety of applications that will traverse the firewall, especially those that are most likely to be affected by network throughput or latency issues.
• Security of the Implementation. The firewall implementation itself may contain vulnerabilities and weaknesses that attackers could exploit. Organizations with high security needs may want to perform vulnerability assessments against firewall components.
• Component Interoperability. Components of the firewall solution must function together properly. This is of greatest concern when a variety of components from different vendors are used.
• Additional Features. Additional features that will be used by the firewall—such as VPN and antivirus capabilities—should be tested to ensure they are working properly.



18 Responses to “Firewalls Testing”

1. Ric says:

   Which is better Eset Firewall or Windows Firewall?
2. admin says:

   ESET’s firewall is obviously superior to Windows Defender, and allows more flexibility and control over apps.

   If you don’t want to buy a firewall you can use free ones like: ZoneAlarm, Comodo.
3. Swap says:

   Currently I am running Kasperky Antivirus I have been using Comodo, but its not working properly for me so I decided to try another. What would you recommend?
4. admin says:

   You cand upgrade to Kaspersky Internet Security 2009. If not Checkpoint ZoneAlarm Firewall or Online Armor.Also PCTools Firewall Plus free is another option you could check out.
5. admin says:

   -default port-probing and Trojan Horse :www.hackerwatch.org
   -port probe and Trojan tests:www.auditmypc.com
6. Rico says:

   How long should I test my firewall on the replicate network ?
7. admin says:

   For as long as it takes (usually at least two weeks) in advance of the vulnerability tests, configuring the firewall in a way I consider to be typical use
8. Rico says:

   Where can I test my home firewall for vulnerabilities ?
9. Karen says:

   What is a ‘Firewall Leak Tester’ ?
10. admin says:

    It is a software online or offline that using different test programs (leaktests) enables you to test your firewall.
11. Karen says:

    What are the approaches to firewall testing ?
12. admin says:

    If I summarize the aspects about firewall testing presented in the article the approaches are:

    1. Penetration testing
    2. Testing of the firewall implementation
    3. Testing of the firewall rules
13. Paul says:

    What is the the goal of penetration testing ?
14. admin says:

    The goal is to reveal security flaws of a target network by running
    attacks against it.
15. Paul says:

    What tools do you use for penetration testing ?
16. admin says:

    Nessus , Saint or Satan. This tools check the firewall for potential breaches of security to be exploited.
17. Ken says:

    interesting post
18. P. Silva says:

    a very good article about Firewalls Testing