Mastering™ Network Security, Second Edition

5.5. Firewall Types

Although most firewalls implement the functions described earlier, the actual implementation or firewall type is spread across four areas:

• Embedded

• Software

• Hardware

• Application

5.5.1.

5.5.1.1. Embedded Firewalls

When firewall functions are integrated into a router or a switch, the firewall is said to be embedded. Also known as choke-point firewalls, embedded firewalls usually perform only stateless inspection of packets at the IP level, resulting in faster performance but an increased vulnerability to hostile code.

5.5.1.2. Software Firewalls

Software firewalls themselves come in two different types—enterprise class for performing routing functions for large networks, and a SOHO (Small Office, Home Office) class. Usually ...