What makes a firewall a Cisco Secure Firewall?
- It has additional features such as Context Awareness and Advanced Malware Protection.
- It has the ability to contain an attack within the security zone where the attack occurred.
- It has the ability to handle protocols that use dynamically negotiated connections.
- When used as a primary path between client and server, it can prevent the server from seeing the connection from the client.
Explanation: Cisco Secure Firewall (formerly known as Cisco Next Generation Firewall or NGFW) evolves beyond traditional perimeter security to defend against modern multivector and persistent threats. What makes it a "Secure Firewall" is the integration of several advanced security services:
- Context Awareness: This feature allows the firewall to identify who is connecting, what device they are using, their location, and the timing of the connection to enforce granular security policies.
- Advanced Malware Protection (AMP): It provides comprehensive capabilities for detecting, blocking, tracking, and remediating malware.
- Application Visibility and Control: Unlike standard firewalls that look at port numbers, this feature recognizes specific applications by analyzing data streams.
- URL Filtering: This integrates proxy-like functions directly into the firewall, utilizing website reputation scores and classification to control web traffic.
- Intrusion Prevention System (IPS): Deep packet inspection is integrated directly into the appliance to identify and block suspicious behavior.
While standard firewalls are designed to contain attacks within a security zone, the Cisco Secure Firewall specifically utilizes these integrated functions to offer comprehensive network visibility and highly effective threat protection.
Related exam: Modules 14 – 16: Checkpoint Exam: Network Security Answers (CCNP ENCOR v9)
