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As organizations respond to an ever-evolving set of security threats, network teams are scrambling to find new ways to keep up with... Auditing and Compliance Continuous compliance monitoring best practices Tsippi Dach 2 min read Tsippi Dach Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 3/19/23 Published As organizations respond to an ever-evolving set of security threats, network teams are scrambling to find new ways to keep up with numerous standards and regulations to dodge their next compliance audit violation. Can this nightmare be avoided? Yes, and it’s not as complex as one might think if you take a “compliance first” approach . It may not come as a surprise to many, but the number of cyber attacks is increasing every year and with it the risk to companies’ financial, organizational, and reputational standing. What’s at stake? The stakes are high when it comes to cyber security compliance. A single data breach can result in massive financial losses, damage to a company’s reputation, and even jail time for executives. Data breaches: Data breaches are expensive and becoming even more so by the day. According to the Ponemon Institute’s 2022 Cost of a Data Breach Report , the average cost of a data breach is $4.35 million. Fraud: Identity fraud is one of the most pressing cybersecurity threats today. In large organizations, the scale of fraud is also usually large, resulting in huge losses causing depletion of profitability. In a recent survey done by PwC, nearly one in five organizations said that their most disruptive incident cost over $50 million*. Theft: Identity theft is on the rise and can be the first step towards compromising a business. According a study from Javelin Strategy & Research found that identity fraud costs US businesses an estimated total of $56 billion* in 2021. What’s the potential impact? The potential impact of non-compliance can be devastating to an organization. Financial penalties, loss of customers, and damage to reputation are just a few of the possible consequences. To avoid these risks, organizations must make compliance a priority and take steps to ensure that they are meeting all relevant requirements. Legal impact:  Regulatory or legal action brought against the organization or its employees that could result in fines, penalties, imprisonment, product seizures, or debarment.  Financial impact:  Negative impacts with regard to the organization’s bottom line, share price, potential future earnings, or loss of investor confidence.  Business impact:  Adverse events, such as embargos or plant shutdowns, could significantly disrupt the organization’s ability to operate.  Reputational impact:  Damage to the organization’s reputation or brand—for example, bad press or social-media discussion, loss of customer trust, or decreased employee morale.  How can this be avoided? In order to stay ahead of the ever-expanding regulatory requirements, organizations must adopt a “compliance first” approach to cyber security. This means enforcing strict compliance criteria and taking immediate action to address any violations to ensure data is protected. Some of these measures include the following: Risk assessment: Conduct ongoing monitoring of compliance posture (risk assessment) and conduct regular internal audits (ensuring adherence with regulatory and legislative requirements (HIPAA, GDPR, PCI DSS, SOX, etc.) Documentation: Enforce continuous tracking of changes and intent Annual audits: Commission 3rd party annual audits to ensure adherence with regulatory and legislative requirements (HIPAA, GDPR, PCI DSS, SOX, etc.) Conclusion and next steps Compliance violations are no laughing matter. They can result in fines, business loss, and even jail time in extreme cases. They can be difficult to avoid unless you take the right steps to avoid them. You have a complex set of rules and regulations to follow as well as numerous procedures, processes, and policies. And if you don’t stay on top of things, you can end up with a compliance violation mess that is difficult to untangle. Fortunately, there are ways to reduce the risk of being blindsided by a compliance violation mess with your organization. Now that you know the risks and what needs to be done, here are six best practices for achieving it. External links: $50 million $56 billion Schedule a demo Related Articles 2025 in review: What innovations and milestones defined AlgoSec’s transformative year in 2025? AlgoSec Reviews Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call

Convergence has been claimed. Security orgs merged their teams, aligned their titles, and drew the new boxes on the whiteboard. The... Convergence didn’t fail, compliance did. Adel Osta Dadan 2 min read Adel Osta Dadan Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 6/17/25 Published Convergence has been claimed. Security orgs merged their teams, aligned their titles, and drew the new boxes on the whiteboard. The result: security teams are now responsible for both cloud and on-premises network environments. But for many of those teams, compliance is still running on fumes. The reporting lines changed. The responsibilities increased. The oversight? Still patchy. The systems? Still fragmented. And the ability to demonstrate consistent policy enforcement across hybrid environments—where compliance lives or dies—has never been more at risk. This isn’t an edge case. It’s structural. And it’s quietly putting every converged team in a bind. The illusion of control If convergence was supposed to simplify compliance, most teams missed the memo. Cloud-native controls don’t sync with on-prem rule sets. Application deployments move faster than the audits tracking them. Policies drift. Risk assessments stall out. And when the next audit comes knocking, security teams are left reconciling evidence after the fact—manually stitching together logs, policies, and screenshots across tools that don’t talk to each other. The result? Ownership without visibility. Policy without context. Responsibility without control. Compliance at the application layer—or nowhere Security and compliance are often treated as parallel tracks. But in hybrid environments, they’re the same problem. The more distributed your network, the more fragmented your enforcement—and the harder it becomes to map controls to real business risk. What matters isn’t whether a port is open. It’s whether the application behind it should be reachable from that region, that VPC, or that user. That requires context. And today, context lives at the application layer. This is where AlgoSec Horizon changes the equation. AlgoSec Horizon is the first platform built to secure application connectivity across hybrid networks—with compliance embedded by design. Horizon: compliance that knows what it’s looking at With Horizon, compliance isn’t an add-on. It’s the outcome of deep visibility and policy awareness at the level that actually matters: the business application. Our customers are using Horizon to: Automatically discover and map every business application—including shadow IT and unapproved flows Simulate rule changes in advance, avoiding deployment errors that compromise compliance Track and enforce policies in context, with real-time validation against compliance frameworks Generate audit-ready reports across hybrid networks without assembling data by hand It’s compliance without the swivel chair. And it’s already helping converged teams move faster—without giving up control. Compliance can’t be an after-thought. Security convergence wasn’t the mistake. Stopping at structure was. When compliance is left behind, the risk isn’t just audit failure—it’s operational drag. Policy friction. Delays in application delivery. Missed SLAs. Because the real impact of compliance gaps isn’t found in the SOC—it’s found in the business outcomes that stall because security couldn’t keep pace. Horizon closes that gap. Because in a world of converged teams and hybrid environments, security has to operate with complete visibility—and compliance has to work at the speed of the application. Schedule a demo Related Articles 2025 in review: What innovations and milestones defined AlgoSec’s transformative year in 2025? AlgoSec Reviews Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call

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Firewalls are one of the most important cybersecurity solutions in the enterprise tech stack. They can also be the most demanding.... Firewall Change Management 20 Firewall Management Best Practices for Network Security Asher Benbenisty 2 min read Asher Benbenisty Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 10/29/23 Published Firewalls are one of the most important cybersecurity solutions in the enterprise tech stack. They can also be the most demanding. Firewall management is one of the most time-consuming tasks that security teams and network administrators regularly perform. The more complex and time-consuming a task is, the easier it is for mistakes to creep in. Few organizations have established secure network workflows that include comprehensive firewall change management plans and standardized firewall best practices. This makes implementing policy changes and optimizing firewall performance riskier than it needs to be. According to the 2023 Verizon Data Breach Investigation Report, security misconfigurations are responsible for one out of every ten data breaches. ( * ) This includes everything from undetected exceptions in the firewall rule base to outright policy violations by IT security teams. It includes bad firewall configuration changes, routing issues, and non-compliance with access control policies. Security management leaders need to pay close attention to the way their teams update firewall rules, manipulate firewall logs, and establish audit trails. Organizations that clean up their firewall management policies will be better equipped to automate policy enforcement, troubleshooting, and firewall migration. 20 Firewall Management Best Practices Right Now 1. Understand how you arrived at your current firewall policies: Most security leaders inherit someone else’s cybersecurity tech stack the moment they accept the job. One of the first challenges is discovering the network and cataloging connected assets. Instead of simply mapping network architecture and cataloging assets, go deeper. Try to understand the reasoning behind the current rule set. What cyber threats and vulnerabilities was the organization’s previous security leader preparing for? What has changed since then? 2. Implement multiple firewall layers: Layer your defenses by using multiple types of firewalls to create a robust security posture. Configure firewalls to address specific malware risks and cyberattacks according to the risk profile of individual private networks and subnetworks in your environment. This might require adding new firewall solutions, or adding new rules to existing ones. You may need to deploy and manage perimeter, internal, and application-level firewalls separately, and centralize control over them using a firewall management tool. 3. Regularly update firewall rules: Review and update firewall rules regularly to ensure they align with your organization’s needs. Remove outdated or unnecessary rules to reduce potential attack surfaces. Pay special attention to areas where firewall rules may overlap. Certain apps and interfaces may be protected by multiple firewalls with conflicting rules. At best, this reduces the efficiency of your firewall fleet. At worst, it can introduce security vulnerabilities that enable attackers to bypass firewall rules. 4. Apply the principle of least privilege: Apply the principle of least privilege when creating firewall rules . Only grant access to resources that are necessary for specific roles or functions. Remember to remove access from users who no longer need it. This is difficult to achieve with simple firewall tools. You may need policies that can follow users and network assets even as their IP addresses change. Next-generation firewalls are capable of enforcing identity-based policies like this. If your organization’s firewall configuration is managed by an outside firm, that doesn’t mean it automatically applies this principle correctly. Take time to review your policies and ensure no users have unjustified access to critical network resources. . 5. Use network segmentation to build a multi-layered defense: Use network segmentation to isolate different parts of your network. This will make it easier to build and enforce policies that apply the principle of least privilege. If attackers compromise one segment of the network, you can easily isolate that segment and keep the rest secure. Pay close attention to the inbound and outbound traffic flows. Some network segments need to accept flows going in both directions, but many do not. Properly segmented networks deny network traffic traveling along unnecessary routes. You may even decide to build two entirely separate networks – one for normal operations and one for management purposes. If the networks are served by different ISPs, an attack against one may not lead to an attack against the other. Administrators may be able to use the other network to thwart an active cyberattack. 6. Log and monitor firewall activity: Enable firewall logging and regularly review logs for suspicious activities. Implement automated alerts for critical events. Make sure you store firewall logs in an accessible low-cost storage space while still retaining easy access to them when needed. You should be able to pull records like source IP addresses on an as-needed basis. Consider implementing a more comprehensive security information and event management (SIEM) platform. This allows you to capture and analyze log data from throughout your organization in a single place. Analysts can detect and respond to threats more effectively in a SIEM-enabled environment. Consider enabling logging on all permit/deny rules. This will provide you with evidence of network intrusion and help with troubleshooting. It also allows you to use automated tools to optimize firewall configuration based on historical traffic. 7. Regularly test and audit firewall performance: Conduct regular security assessments and penetration tests to identify vulnerabilities. Perform security audits to ensure firewall configurations are in compliance with your organization’s policies. Make sure to preview the results of any changes you plan on making to your organization’s firewall rules. This can be a very complex and time-consuming task. Growing organizations will quickly run out of time and resources to effectively test firewall configuration changes over time. Consider using a firewall change management platform to automate the process. 8. Patch and update firewall software frequently: Keep firewall firmware and software up to date with security patches. Vulnerabilities in outdated software can be exploited, and many hackers actively read update changelogs looking for new exploits. Even a few days’ delay can be enough for enterprising cybercriminals to launch an attack. Like most software updates, firewall updates may cause compatibility issues. Consider implementing a firewall management tool that allows you to preview changes and proactively troubleshoot compatibility issues before downloading updates. 9. Make sure you have a reliable backup configuration: Regularly backup firewall configurations. This ensures you can quickly restore settings in case of a failure or compromise. If attackers exploit a vulnerability that allows them to disable your firewall system, restoring an earlier version may be the fastest way to remediate the attack. When scheduling backups, pay special attention to Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) and Recovery Time Objectives (RTO). RPO is the amount of time you can afford to let pass between backups. RTO is the amount of time it takes to fully restore the compromised system. 10. Deploy a structured change management process: Implement a rigorous change management process for firewall rule modifications. Instead of allowing network administrators and IT security teams to enact ad-hoc changes, establish a proper approval process that includes documenting all changes implemented. This can slow down the process of implementing firewall policy changes and enforcing new rules. However, it makes it much easier to analyze firewall performance over time and generate audit trails after attacks occur. Organizations that automate the process can enjoy both well-documented changes and rapid implementation. 11. Implement intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDPS): Use IDPS in conjunction with firewalls to detect and prevent suspicious or malicious traffic. IDPS works in conjunction with properly configured firewalls to improve enterprise-wide security and enable security teams to detect malicious behavior. Some NGFW solutions include built-in intrusion and detection features as part of their advanced firewall technology. This gives security leaders the ability to leverage both prevention and detection-based security from a single device. 12. Invest in user training and awareness: Train employees on safe browsing habits and educate them about the importance of firewall security. Make sure they understand the cyber threats that firewalls are designed to keep out, and how firewall rules contribute to their own security and safety. Most firewalls can’t prevent attacks that exploit employee negligence. Use firewall training to cultivate a security-oriented office culture that keeps employees vigilant against identity theft , phishing attacks, social engineering, and other cyberattack vectors. Encourage employees to report unusual behavior to IT security team members even if they don’t suspect an attack is underway. 13. Configure firewalls for redundancy and high availability: Design your network with redundancy and failover mechanisms to ensure continuous protection in case of hardware or software failures. Multiple firewalls can work together to seamlessly take over when one goes offline, making it much harder for attackers to capitalize on firewall downtime. Designate high availability firewalls – or firewall clusters – to handle high volume traffic subject to a wide range of security threats. Public-facing servers handling high amounts of inbound traffic typically need extra protection compared to internal assets. Rule-based traffic counters can provide valuable insight into which rules activate the most often. This can help prioritize the most important rules in high-volume usage scenarios. 14. Develop a comprehensive incident response plan: Develop and regularly update an incident response plan that includes firewall-specific procedures for handling security incidents. Plan for multiple different scenarios and run drills to make sure your team is prepared to respond to the real thing when it comes. Consider using security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR) solutions to create and run automatic incident response playbooks. These playbooks can execute with a single click, instantly engaging additional protections in response to security threats when detected. Be ready for employees and leaders to scrutinize firewall deployments when incidents occur. It’s not always clear whether the source of the issue was the firewall or not. Get ahead of the problem by using a packet analyzer to find out if firewall misconfiguration led to the incident or not early on. 15. Stay ahead of compliance and security regulations: Stay compliant with relevant industry regulations and standards, such as GDPR , HIPAA, or PCI DSS , which may have specific firewall requirements. Be aware of changes and updates to regulatory compliance needs. In an acquisition-oriented enterprise environment, managing compliance can be very difficult. Consider implementing a firewall management platform that provides a centralized view of your entire network environment so you can quickly identify underprotected networks. 16. Don’t forget about documentation: Maintain detailed documentation of firewall configurations, network diagrams, and security policies for reference and auditing purposes. Keep these documents up-to-date so that new and existing team members can use them for reference whenever they need to interact with the organization’s firewall solutions. Network administrators and IT security team members aren’t always the most conscientious documentation creators. Consider automating the process and designating a special role for maintaining and updating firewall documentation throughout the organization. 17. Regularly review and improve firewall performance: Continuously evaluate and improve your firewall management practices based on evolving threats and changing business needs. Formalize an approach to reviewing, updating, and enforcing new rules using data gathered by your current deployment. This process requires the ability to preview policy changes and create complex “what-if” scenarios. Without a powerful firewall change management platform in place, manually conducting this research may be very difficult. Consider using automation to optimize firewall performance over time. 18. Deploy comprehensive backup connectivity: In case of a network failure, ensure there’s a backup connectivity plan in place to maintain essential services. Make sure the plan includes business continuity solutions for mission-critical services as well as security controls that maintain compliance. Consider multiple disaster scenarios that could impact business continuity. Security professionals typically focus on cyberattacks, but power outages, floods, earthquakes, and other natural phenomena can just as easily lead to data loss. Opportunistic hackers may take advantage of these events to strike when they think the organization’s guard is down. 19. Make sure secure remote access is guaranteed: If remote access to your network is required, use secure methods like VPNs and multi-factor authentication (MFA) for added protection. Make sure your firewall policies reflect the organization’s remote-enabled capabilities, and provide a secure environment for remote users to operate in. Consider implementing NGFW solutions that can reliably identify and manage inbound VPN connections without triggering false positives. Be especially wary of firewall rules that automatically deny connections without conducting deeper analysis to find out whether it was for legitimate user access. 20. Use group objects to simplify firewall rules: Your firewall analyzer allows you to create general rules and apply them to group objects, applying the rule to any asset in the group. This allows you to use the same rule set for similar policies impacting different network segments. You can even create a global policy that applies to the whole network and then refine that policy further as you go through each subnetwork. Be careful about nesting object groups inside one another. This might look like clean firewall management, but it can also create problems when the organization grows, and it can complicate change management. You may end up enforcing contradictory rules if your documentation practices can’t keep up. Schedule a demo Related Articles 2025 in review: What innovations and milestones defined AlgoSec’s transformative year in 2025? AlgoSec Reviews Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call

Avishai Wool, CTO at AlgoSec, analyses the recent Facebook outage and the risks all organizations face in network configuration Social... Cyber Attacks & Incident Response The Facebook outage and network configuration Prof. Avishai Wool 2 min read Prof. Avishai Wool Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 10/6/21 Published Avishai Wool, CTO at AlgoSec, analyses the recent Facebook outage and the risks all organizations face in network configuration Social media giant Facebook was involved in a network outage on the 4th October 2021 that lasted for nearly six hours and took its sister platforms Instagram and WhatsApp offline. As the story developed, it became apparent that the incident was caused by a configuration issue within Facebook’s BGP (Border Gateway Protocol), one of the systems that the internet uses to get your traffic where it needs to go as quickly as possible. The outage also cut off the company’s internal communications, along with authentication to third-party services including Google and Zoom. Some reports suggested security passes went offline, which stopped engineers from entering the building to physically reset the data center. The impact was felt worldwide, with Downdetector recording more than 10 million problem reports, the largest number for one single incident. Facebook released an official statement following the outage stating: “Our engineering teams learned that configuration changes on the backbone routers that coordinate network traffic between our data centers caused issues that interrupted this communication.” While Facebook has assured its users that no data has been lost in this process, the outage is a stark reminder of how small configuration errors can have huge, far-reaching consequences. The fundamentals of application availability At the fundamental level, Facebook suffered from a lack of application availability. When a change was actioned, it caused a major chain reaction that ultimately wiped Facebook and its related services from the internet because they couldn’t see the entire lifecycle of that change and the impact it would have. To avoid an incident like this in the future, organizations should consider a few simple steps: Back up configuration files to allow for rollbacks should an issue arise Use a test system alongside live processes to run scenarios without causing any disruptions Retain low-tech alternatives to guarantee access to the network if the primary route fails The outages across Facebook’s infrastructure highlight the operational risks all organizations face around faulty configuration changes which can drastically impact application availability. Intelligent automation, thorough change management and proactive checks are key to avoid these outages. Schedule a demo Related Articles 2025 in review: What innovations and milestones defined AlgoSec’s transformative year in 2025? AlgoSec Reviews Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call

Firewall misconfigurations are one of the most common and preventable security issues that organizations face. Comprehensively managing... Firewall Change Management How to fix misconfigured firewalls (and prevent firewall breaches) Kyle Wickert 2 min read Kyle Wickert Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 8/9/23 Published Firewall misconfigurations are one of the most common and preventable security issues that organizations face. Comprehensively managing access control, addressing vulnerabilities, and detecting configuration mistakes under these conditions is not easy It’s especially challenging for organizations that use the default firewall rules provided by their vendor. Your firewall policies should reflect your organization’s unique cybersecurity risk profile. This requires some degree of customization, and intelligence into kinds of cyber attacks hackers use to target your organization. Understanding security misconfigurations and their impact on network security Security misconfigurations happen when elements of your security tech stack expose preventable vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit. These misconfigurations can take a variety of forms, putting a wide range of security tools and open ports at risk. Network firewall misconfigurations can have a wide-ranging impact on your organization’s overall security posture. Hackers that target vulnerable infrastructure pose a threat to the entire application stack. They may be able to gain access to network services, application servers, and virtual machines. Depending on the specific misconfiguration, they may be able to compromise hardware routers and endpoints as well. In organizations with complex firewall deployments, attackers may be able to exploit misconfigurations, bypass security policies, and escalate their own privileges to make arbitrary changes to firewall security. From this point, attackers can easily modify access control lists (ACLs) to specifically allow the malware they wish to run, compromising the first line of defense against data breaches. This is exactly why Gartner recommends implementing a centralized solution for firewall management . Centralized visibility and control is crucial for maintaining effective firewall configurations and updating them accordingly. Otherwise, ensuring compliance with security best practices like the principle of least privilege becomes difficult or impossible. Routing network traffic through complex cloud-native infrastructure securely requires deep visibility into firewall configuration status, effective authentication processes, and automation-friendly security solutions. How hackers exploit misconfigured firewalls Common misconfigurations include implementing overly permissive rules, disabling critical security features, and neglecting to protect open ports against unauthorized access. This leaves organizations vulnerable to Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks, remote control, and data breaches . Here are some of the ways cybercriminals can exploit misconfigured firewalls: 1. Taking advantage of permissions misconfigurations Overly permissive firewall rules are a common problem among organizations with complex cloud-enabled infrastructure. Often, the organization’s demand for productivity and connectivity take precedence over the need to protect sensitive data from unauthorized network traffic. Additionally, IT team members may misunderstand the cloud provider’s shared responsibility model and assume that the provider has already secured the data center from all potential threats. These situations are particularly risky when the organization is undergoing change. For example, many security professionals start with completely open permissions and tighten them as they learn more about the network’s needs. Obvious and highly visible permissions get secured first, while less visible parts of the security framework are deprioritized – or never addressed at all. Hackers can exploit this situation by focusing on less obvious access points first. Instead of sending malicious traffic to IP addresses associated with core business servers, they might infiltrate the network through an unsecured API, or look for an unpatched operating system somewhere in the network. 2. Exploiting disabled security features Many firewalls offer advanced security features to organizations willing to configure them. However, security teams are often strained for time and resources. They may already be flooded with a backlog of high-priority security alerts to address, making it challenging to spend extra time configuring advanced firewall policies or fine-tuning their security posture. Even organizations that can enable advanced features don’t always do it. Features like leak detection and port scan alerts can put additional strain on limited computing resources, impacting performance. Other features may generate false positives, which only add to the security workload. But many of these features offer clear benefits to organizations that use them. Sophisticated technologies like application and identity-based inspection allow organizations to prioritize firewall performance more efficiently throughout the network. If threat actors find out that advanced security features like these are disabled, they are free to deploy the attack techniques these features protect against. For example, in the case of identity-based inspection, a hacker may be able to impersonate an unidentified administrator-level account and gain access to sensitive security controls without additional authentication. 3. Scanning for unsecured open ports Hackers use specialized penetration testing tools to scan for open ports. Tools like Nmap, Unicornscan , and Angry IP Scanner can find open ports and determine the security controls that apply to them. If a hacker finds out that your ACLs neglect to cover a particular port, they will immediately look for ways to exploit that vulnerability and gain access to your network. These tools are the same network discovery tools that system administrators and network engineers use on a routine basis. Tools like Nmap allow IT professionals to run security audits on local and remote networks, identifying hosts responding to network requests, discovering operating system names and versions, and more. Threat actors can even determine what kind of apps are running and find the version number of those apps. They also allow threat actors to collect data on weak points in your organization’s security defenses. For example, they might identify a healthcare organization using an outdated app to store sensitive clinical trial data. From there, it’s easy to look up the latest patch data to find out what exploits the outdated app is vulnerable to. How to optimize firewall configuration Protecting your organization from firewall breaches demands paying close attention to the policies, patch versions, and additional features your firewall provider offers. Here are three steps security leaders can take to address misconfiguration risks and ensure a robust security posture against external threats: 1. Audit your firewall policies regularly This is especially important for organizations undergoing the transition to cloud-native infrastructure. It’s virtually guaranteed that certain rules and permissions will no longer be needed as the organization adjusts to this period of change over time. Make sure that your firewall rules are constantly updated to address these changes and adapt to them accordingly. Auditing should take place under a strict change management framework . Implement a change log and incorporate it into your firewall auditing workflow so that you can easily access information about historical configuration changes. This change log will provide security professionals with readymade data about who implemented configuration changes, what time those changes took place, and why they were made in the first place. This gives you at-a-glance coverage of historical firewall performance, which puts you one step closer to building a unified, centralized solution for handling firewall policies. 2. Update and patch firewall software frequently Like every element in your security tech stack, firewall software needs to be updated promptly when developers release new patches. This applies both to hardware firewalls operating on-premises and software firewalls working throughout your network. These patches address known vulnerabilities, and they are often the first line of defense against rapidly emerging threats. The sooner you can deploy software patches to your firewalls, the more robust your network security posture will be. These changes should also be noted in a change log. This provides valuable evidence for the strength of your security posture against known emerging threats. If hackers start testing your defenses by abusing known post-patch vulnerabilities, you will be prepared for them. 3. Implement an intrusion detection system (IDS) Firewalls form the foundation of good network security, and intrusion detection systems supplement their capabilities by providing an additional line of defense. Organizations with robust IDS capabilities are much harder to compromise without triggering alerts. IDS solutions passively monitor traffic for signs of potential threats. When they detect a threat, they generate an alert, allowing security operations personnel to investigate and respond. This adds additional layers of value to the basic function of the firewall – allowing or denying traffic based on ACLs and network security rules. Many next-generation firewalls include intrusion detection system capabilities as part of an integrated solutions. This simplifies security management considerably and reduces the number of different devices and technologies security teams must gain familiarity with. Pay attention to firewall limitations – and prepare for them Properly configured firewalls offer valuable security performance to organizations with complex network infrastructure. However, they can’t prevent every cyber attack and block every bit of malicious code. Security leaders should be aware of firewall limitations and deploy security measures that compensate appropriately. Even with properly configured firewalls, you’ll have to address some of the following issues: Zero-day attacks Firewalls may not block attacks that exploit new and undiscovered vulnerabilities. Since these are not previously known vulnerabilities, security teams have not yet had time to develop patches or fixes that address them. These types of attacks are generally able to bypass more firewall solutions. However, some next-generation firewalls do offer advanced features capable of addressing zero-day attacks. Identity-based inspection is one example of a firewall technology that can detect these attacks because it enforces security policies based on user identity rather than IP address. Sandboxes are another next-generation firewall technology capable of blocking zero-day attacks. However, no single technology can reliably block 100% of all zero-day attacks. Some solutions are better-equipped to handle these types of attacks than others, but it takes a robust multi-layered security posture to consistently protect against unknown threats. Timely incident response Firewall configuration plays an important role in incident response. Properly configured firewalls help provide visibility into your security posture in real-time, enabling security teams to create high-performance incident response playbooks. Custom playbooks ensure timely incident response by prioritizing the types of threats found in real-world firewall data. If your firewalls are misconfigured, your incident response playbooks may reflect a risk profile that doesn’t match with your real-world security posture. This can lead to security complications that reduce the effectiveness of incident response processes down the line. Planned outages when updating firewalls Updating firewalls is an important part of maintaining an optimal firewall configuration for your organization. However, the update process can be lengthy. At the same time, it usually requires scheduling an outage in advance, which will temporarily expose your organization to the threats your firewall normally protects against. In some cases, there may be compatibility issues with incoming version of the firewall software being updated. This may lengthen the amount of time that the organization has to endure a service outage, which complicates firewall security. This is one reason why many security leaders intentionally delay updating their firewalls. As with many other aspects of running and maintaining good security policies, effective change management is an important aspect of planning firewall updates. Security leaders should stagger their scheduled updates to avoid reducing risk exposure and provide the organization with meaningful security controls during the update process. Automate change management and avoid misconfigurations with algoSec AlgoSec helps organizations deploy security policy changes while maintaining accuracy and control over their security posture. Use automation to update firewall configuration policies, download new security patches, and validate results without spending additional time and energy on manual processes. AlgoSec’s Firewall Analyzer gives you the ability to discover and map business applications throughout your network. Find out how new security policies will impact traffic and perform detailed simulations of potential security scenarios with unlimited visibility. Schedule a demo to see AlgoSec in action for yourself. Schedule a demo Related Articles 2025 in review: What innovations and milestones defined AlgoSec’s transformative year in 2025? AlgoSec Reviews Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call

The Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) is set to transform how financial institutions across the European Union manage and... Network Security Navigating DORA: How to ensure your network security and compliance strategy is resilient Joseph Hallman 2 min read Joseph Hallman Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 12/19/24 Published The Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) is set to transform how financial institutions across the European Union manage and mitigate ICT (Information and Communications Technology) risks. With the official compliance deadline in January 2025, organizations are under pressure to ensure their systems can withstand and recover from disruptions—an urgent priority in an increasingly digitized financial ecosystem. DORA introduces strict requirements for ICT risk management, incident reporting, and third-party oversight, aiming to bolster the operational resilience of financial firms. But what are the key deadlines and penalties, and how can organizations ensure they stay compliant? Key Timelines and Penalties Under DORA Compliance deadline: January 2025 – Financial firms and third-party ICT providers must have operational resilience frameworks in place by this deadline. Regular testing requirements – Companies will need to conduct resilience testing regularly, with critical institutions potentially facing enhanced testing requirements. Penalties for non-compliance – Fines for failing to comply with DORA’s mandates can be substantial. Non-compliance could lead to penalties of up to 2% of annual turnover, and repeated breaches could result in even higher sanctions or operational restrictions. Additionally, firms face reputational risks if they fail to meet incident reporting and recovery expectations. Long term effect- DORA increases senior management's responsibility for ICT risk oversight, driving stronger internal controls and accountability. Executives may face liability for failing to manage risks, reinforcing the focus on compliance and governance. These regulations create a dynamic challenge, as organizations not only need to meet the initial requirements by 2025, but also adapt to the changes as the standards continue to evolve over time. Firewall rule recertification The Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) emphasizes the need for financial institutions in the EU to ensure operational resilience in the face of technological risks. While DORA does not explicitly mandate firewall rule recertification , several of its broader requirements apply to the management and oversight of firewall rules and the overall security infrastructure, which would include periodic firewall rule recertification as part of maintaining a robust security posture. A few of the key areas relevant to firewall rules and the necessity for frequent recertification are highlighted below. ICT Risk Management Framework- Article 6 requires financial institutions to implement a comprehensive ICT (Information and Communication Technology) risk management framework. This includes identifying, managing, and regularly testing security policies, which would encompass firewall rules as they are a critical part of network security. Regular rule recertification helps to ensure that firewall configurations are up-to-date and aligned with security policies. Detection Solutions- Article 10 mandates that financial entities must implement effective detection solutions to identify anomalies, incidents, and cyberattacks. These solutions are required to have multiple layers of control, including defined alert thresholds that trigger incident response processes. Regular testing of these detection mechanisms is also essential to ensure their effectiveness, underscoring the need for ongoing evaluations of firewall configurations and rules ICT Business Continuity Policy- Article 11 emphasizes the importance of establishing a comprehensive ICT business continuity policy. This policy should include strategic approaches to risk management, particularly focusing on the security of ICT third-party providers. The requirement for regular testing of ICT business continuity plans, as stipulated in Article 11(6), indirectly highlights the need for frequent recertification of firewall rules. Organizations must document and test their plans at least once a year, ensuring that security measures, including firewalls, are up-to-date and effective against current threats. Backup, Restoration, and Recovery- Article 12 outlines the procedures for backup, restoration, and recovery, necessitating that these processes are tested periodically. Entities must ensure that their backup and recovery systems are segregated and effective, further supporting the requirement for regular recertification of security measures like firewalls to protect backup systems against cyber threats. Crisis Communication Plans- Article 14 details the obligations regarding communication during incidents, emphasizing that organizations must have plans in place to manage and communicate risks related to the security of their networks. This includes ensuring that firewall configurations are current and aligned with incident response protocols, necessitating regular reviews and recertifications to adapt to new threats and changes in the operational environment. In summary, firewall rule recertification supports the broader DORA requirements for maintaining ICT security, managing risks, and ensuring network resilience through regular oversight and updates of critical security configurations. How AlgoSec helps meet regulatory requirements AlgoSec provides the tools, intelligence, and automation necessary to help organizations comply with DORA and other regulatory requirements while streamlining ongoing risk management and security operations. Here’s how: 1. Comprehensive network visibility AlgoSec offers full visibility into your network, including detailed insights into the application connectivity that each firewall rule supports. This application-centric approach allows you to easily identify security gaps or vulnerabilities that could lead to non-compliance. With AlgoSec, you can maintain continuous alignment with regulatory requirements like DORA by ensuring every firewall rule is tied to an active, relevant application. This helps ensure compliance with DORA's ICT risk management framework, including continuous identification and management of security policies (Article 6). Benefit : With this deep visibility, you remain audit-ready with minimal effort, eliminating manual tracking of firewall rules and reducing the risk of errors. 2. Automated risk and compliance reports AlgoSec automates compliance checks across multiple regulations, continuously analyzing your security policies for misconfigurations or risks that may violate regulatory requirements. This includes automated recertification of firewall rules, ensuring your organization stays compliant with frameworks like DORA's ICT Risk Management (Article 6). Benefit : AlgoSec saves your team significant time and reduces the likelihood of costly mistakes, while automatically generating audit-ready reports that simplify your compliance efforts. 3. Incident reporting and response DORA mandates rapid detection, reporting, and recovery during incidents. AlgoSec’s intelligent platform enhances incident detection and response by automatically identifying firewall rules that may be outdated or insecure and aligning security policies with incident response protocols. This helps ensure compliance with DORA's Detection Solutions (Article 10) and Crisis Communication Plans (Article 14). Benefit : By accelerating response times and ensuring up-to-date firewall configurations, AlgoSec helps you meet reporting deadlines and mitigate breaches before they escalate. 4. Firewall policy management AlgoSec simplifies firewall management by taking an application-centric approach to recertifying firewall rules. Instead of manually reviewing outdated rules, AlgoSec ties each firewall rule to the specific application it serves, allowing for quick identification of redundant or risky rules. This ensures compliance with DORA’s requirement for regular rule recertification in both ICT risk management and continuity planning (Articles 6 and 11). Benefit : Continuous optimization of security policies ensures that only necessary and secure rules are in place, reducing network risk and maintaining compliance. 5. Managing third-party risk DORA emphasizes the need to oversee third-party ICT providers as part of a broader risk management framework. AlgoSec integrates seamlessly with other security tools, providing unified visibility into third-party risks across your hybrid environment. With its automated recertification processes, AlgoSec ensures that security policies governing third-party access are regularly reviewed and aligned with business needs. Benefit : This proactive management of third-party risks helps prevent potential breaches and ensures compliance with DORA’s ICT Business Continuity requirements (Article 11). 6. Backup, Restoration, and Recovery AlgoSec helps secure backup and recovery systems by recertifying firewall rules that protect critical assets and applications. DORA’s Backup, Restoration, and Recovery (Article 12) requirements emphasize that security controls must be periodically tested. AlgoSec automates these tests, ensuring your firewall rules support secure, segregated backup systems. Benefit : Automated recertification prevents outdated or insecure rules from jeopardizing your backup processes, ensuring you meet regulatory demands. Stay ahead of compliance with AlgoSec Meeting evolving regulations like DORA requires more than a one-time adjustment—it demands a dynamic, proactive approach to security and compliance. AlgoSec’s application-centric platform is designed to evolve with your business, continuously aligning firewall rules with active applications and automating the process of policy recertification and compliance reporting. By automating key processes such as risk assessments, firewall rule management, and policy recertification, AlgoSec ensures that your organization is always prepared for audits. Continuous monitoring and real-time alerts keep your security posture compliant with DORA and other regulations, while automated reports simplify audit preparation—minimizing the time spent on compliance and reducing human error. With AlgoSec, businesses not only meet compliance regulations but also enhance operational efficiency, improve security, and maintain alignment with global standards. As DORA and other regulatory frameworks evolve, AlgoSec helps you ensure that compliance is an integral, seamless part of your operations. Read our latest whitepaper and watch a short video to learn more about our application-centric approach to firewall rule recertification Schedule a demo Related Articles 2025 in review: What innovations and milestones defined AlgoSec’s transformative year in 2025? AlgoSec Reviews Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call

Problems with firewalls can be quite disastrous to your operations. When firewall rules are not set properly, you might deny all... Firewall Change Management Firewall troubleshooting steps & solutions to common issues Tsippi Dach 2 min read Tsippi Dach Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 8/10/23 Published Problems with firewalls can be quite disastrous to your operations. When firewall rules are not set properly, you might deny all requests, even valid ones, or allow access to unauthorized sources. There needs to be a systematic way to troubleshoot your firewall issues, and you need to have a proper plan. You should consider security standards, hardware/software compatibility, security policy planning , and access level specifications. It is recommended to have an ACL (access control list) to determine who has access to what. Let us give you a brief overview of firewall troubleshooting best practices and steps to follow. Common firewall problems With the many benefits that firewalls bring, they might also pop out some errors and issues now and then. You need to be aware of the common issues, failures, and error codes to properly assess an error condition to ensure the smooth working of your firewalls. Misconfiguration errors A report by Gartner Research says that misconfiguration causes about 95% of all firewall breaches. A simple logical flaw in a firewall rule can open up vulnerabilities, leading to serious security breaches. Before playing with your firewall settings, you must set up proper access control settings and understand the security policy specifications. You must remember that misconfiguration errors in CLI can lead to hefty fines for non-compliance, data breaches , and unnecessary downtimes. All these can cause heavy monetary damages; hence, you should take extra care to configure your firewall rules and settings properly. Here are some common firewall misconfigurations: Allowing ICMP and making the firewall available for ping requests Providing unnecessary services on the firewall Allowing unused TCP/UDP ports The firewall is set to return a ‘deny’ response instead of a ‘drop’ for blocked ports. IP address misconfigurations that can allow TCP pinging of internal hosts from external devices. Trusting DNS and IP addresses that are not properly checked and source verified. Check out AlgoSec’s firewall configuration guide for best practices. Hardware issues Hardware bottlenecks and device misconfigurations can easily lead to firewall failures. Sometimes, running a firewall 24/7 can overload your hardware and lead to a lowered network performance of your entire system. You should look into the performance issues and optimize firewall functionalities or upgrade your hardware accordingly. Software vulnerabilities Any known vulnerability with your firewall software must be dealt with immediately. Hackers can exploit software vulnerabilities easily to gain backdoor entry into your network. So, stay current with all the patches and updates your software vendors provide. Types of firewall issues Most firewall issues can be classified as either connectivity or performance issues. Here are some tools you can use in each of these cases: Connectivity Issues Some loss of access to a network resource or unavailability usually characterizes these issues. You can use network connectivity tools like NetStat to monitor and analyze the inbound TCP/UDP packets. Both these tools have a wide range of sub-commands and tools that help you trace IP network traffic and control the traffic as per your requirements. Firewall Performance Issues As discussed earlier, performance issues can cause a wide range of issues, such as unplanned downtimes and firewall failures, leading to security breaches and slow network performance. Some of the ways you can rectify it include: Load balancing by regulating the outbound network traffic by limiting the internal server errors and streamlining the network traffic. Filtering the incoming network traffic with the help of Standard Access Control List filters. Simplifying firewall rules to reduce the load on the firewall applications. You can remove unused rules and break down complex rules to improve performance. Firewall troubleshooting checklist steps Step 1. Audit your hardware & software Create a firewall troubleshooting checklist to check your firewall rules, software vulnerabilities, hardware settings, and more based on your operating system. This should include all the items you should cover as part of your security policy and network assessment. With Algosec’s policy management , you can ensure that your security policy is complete, comprehensive and does not miss out on anything important. Step 2. Pinpoint the Issue Check what the exact issue is. Generally, a firewall issue can arise from any of the three conditions: Access from external networks/devices to protected resources is not functioning properly Access from the protected network/resources to unprotected resources is not functioning properly. Access to the firewall is not functioning properly. Step 3. Determine the traffic flow Once you have ascertained the exact access issue, you should check whether the issue is raised when traffic is going to the firewall or through the firewall. Once you have narrowed down this issue, you can test the connectivity accordingly and determine the underlying cause. Check for any recent updates and try to roll back if that can solve the issue. Go through your firewall permissions and logs for any error messages or warnings. Review your firewall rules and configurations and adjust them for proper working. Depending upon your firewall installation, you can make a checklist of items. Here is a simple guide you can follow to conduct routine maintenance troubleshooting . Monitor the network, test it out, and repeat the process until you reach a solution. Firewall troubleshooting best practices Here are some proven firewall troubleshooting tips. For more in-depth information, check out our Network Security FAQs page. Monitor and test Regular auditing and testing of your Microsoft firewall can help you catch vulnerabilities early and ensure good performance throughout the year. You can use expert-assisted penetration testing to get a good idea of the efficacy of your firewalls. Also be sure to check out the auditing services from Algosec , especially for your PCI security compliance . Deal with insider threats While a Mac or Windows firewall can help you block external threats to an extent, it can be powerless regarding insider attacks. Make sure you enforce strong security controls to avoid any such conditions. Your security policies must be crafted well to avoid any room for such conditions, and your access level specifications should also be well-defined. Device connections Make sure to pay attention to the other modes of attack that can happen besides a network access attempt. If an infected device such as a USB, router, hard drive, or laptop is directly connected to your system, your network firewall can do little to prevent the attack. So, you should put the necessary device restrictions in your privacy statement and the firewall rules. Review and Improve Update your firewall rules and security policies with regular audits and tests. Here are some more tips you can follow to improve your firewall security: Optimize your firewall ruleset to allow only necessary access Use unique user IP instead of a root ID to launch the firewall services Make use of a protected remote Syslog server and keep it safe from unauthorized access Analyze your firewall logs regularly to identify and detect any suspicious activity. You can use tools like Algosec Firewall Analyzer and expert help to analyze your firewall as well. Disable FTP connections by default Setup strict controls on how and which users can modify firewall configurations. Include both source and destination IP addresses and the ports in your firewall rules. Document all the updates and changes made to your firewall policies and rules. In the case of physical firewall implementations, restrict the physical access as well. Use NAT (network address translation) to map multiple private addresses to a public IP address before transmitting the information online. How does a firewall actually work? A Windows firewall is a network security mechanism that allows you to restrict incoming network traffic to your systems. It can be implemented as a hardware, software, or cloud-based security solution . It acts as a barrier stopping unauthorized network access requests from reaching your internal network and thus minimizing any attempt at hacking or breach of confidential data . Based on the type of implementation and the systems it is protecting, firewalls can be classified into several different types. Some of the common types of firewalls are: Packet filtering – Based on the filter standards, a small amount of incoming data is analyzed and subjected to restriction on distribution across the network. Proxy service – An application layer service that acts as an intermediary between the actual servers to block out unauthorized access requests. Stateful inspection – A dynamic packet filtering mechanism that filters out the network packets. Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) – A combination of deep packet inspection and application level inspection to block out unauthorized access into the network. Firewalls are essential to network security at all endpoints, whether personal computers or full-scale enterprise data centers. They allow you to set up strong security controls to prevent a wide range of cyberattacks and help you gain valuable data. Firewalls can help you detect suspicious activities and prevent intrusive attacks at the earliest. They can also help you regulate your incoming and outgoing traffic routing, helping you implement zero-trust security policies and stay compliant with security and data standards. Schedule a demo Related Articles 2025 in review: What innovations and milestones defined AlgoSec’s transformative year in 2025? AlgoSec Reviews Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call

Tal Dayan, security expert for AlgoSec, discusses the secret to passing audits seamlessly and how to introduce automated compliance... Auditing and Compliance Compliance Made Easy: How to improve your risk posture with automated audits Tal Dayan 2 min read Tal Dayan Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 4/29/21 Published Tal Dayan, security expert for AlgoSec, discusses the secret to passing audits seamlessly and how to introduce automated compliance Compliance standards come in many different shapes and sizes. Some organizations set their own internal policies, while others are subject to regimented global frameworks such as PCI DSS , which protects customers’ card payment details; SOX to safeguard financial information or HIPAA , which protects patients’ healthcare data. Regardless of which industry you operate in, regular auditing is key to ensuring your business retains its risk posture whilst also remaining compliant. The problem is that running manual risk and security audits can be a long, drawn-out, and tedious affair. A 2020 report from Coalfire and Omdia  found that for the majority of organizations, growing compliance obligations are now consuming 40% or more of IT security budgets and threaten to become an unsustainable cost.  The report suggests two reasons for this growing compliance burden.  First, compliance standards are changing from point-in-time reviews to continuous, outcome-based requirements. Second, the ongoing cyber-skills shortage is stretching organizations’ abilities to keep up with compliance requirements. This means businesses tend to leave them until the last moment, leading to a rushed audit that isn’t as thorough as it could be, putting your business at increased risk of a penalty fine or, worse, a data breach that could jeopardize the entire organization. The auditing process itself consists of a set of requirements that must be created for organizations to measure themselves against. Each rule must be manually analyzed and simulated before it can be implemented and used in the real world. As if that wasn’t time-consuming enough, every single edit to a rule must also be logged meticulously. That is why automation plays a key role in the auditing process. By striking the right balance between automated and manual processes, your business can achieve continuous compliance and produce audit reports seamlessly. Here is a six-step strategy that can set your business on the path to sustainable and successful ongoing auditing preservation: Step 1: Gather information This step will be the most arduous but once completed it will become much easier to sustain. This is when you’ll need to gather things like security policies, firewall access logs, documents from previous audits and firewall vendor information – effectively everything you’d normally factor into a manual security audit. Step 2: Define a clear change management process A good change management process is essential to ensure traceability and accountability when it comes to firewall changes. This process should confirm that every change is properly authorized and logged as and when it occurs, providing a picture of historical changes and approvals. Step 3: Audit physical & OS security With the pandemic causing a surge in the number of remote workers and devices used, businesses must take extra care to certify that every endpoint is secured and up-to-date with relevant security patches. Crucially, firewall and management services should also be physically protected, with only designated personnel permitted to access them. Step 4: Clean up & organize rule base As with every process, the tidier it is, the more efficient it is. Document rules and naming conventions should be enforced to ensure the rule base is as organized as possible, with identical rules consolidated to keep things concise. Step 5: Assess & remediate risk Now it’s time to assess each rule and identify those that are particularly risky and prioritize them by severity. Are there any that violate corporate security policies? Do some have “ANY” and a permissive action? Make a list of these rules and analyze them to prepare plans for remediation and compliance. Step 6: Continuity & optimization Now it’s time to simply hone the first five steps and make these processes as regular and streamlined as possible. By following the above steps and building out your own process, you can make day-to-day compliance and auditing much more manageable. Not only will you improve your compliance score, you’ll also be able to maintain a sustainable level of compliance without the usual disruption and hard labor caused by cumbersome and expensive manual processes. To find out more about auditing automation and how you can master compliance, watch my recent webinar and visit our firewall auditing and compliance page. Schedule a demo Related Articles 2025 in review: What innovations and milestones defined AlgoSec’s transformative year in 2025? AlgoSec Reviews Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call

With expertise in data management, search algorithms, and AI, Google has created a cloud platform that excels in both performance and... Hybrid Cloud Security Management Improve visibility and identify risk across your Google Cloud environments with AlgoSec Cloud Joseph Hallman 2 min read Joseph Hallman Short bio about author here Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Vitae donec tincidunt elementum quam laoreet duis sit enim. Duis mattis velit sit leo diam. Tags Share this article 9/12/23 Published With expertise in data management, search algorithms, and AI, Google has created a cloud platform that excels in both performance and efficiency. The advanced machine learning, global infrastructure, and comprehensive suite of services available in Google Cloud demonstrates Google’s commitment to innovation. Many companies are leveraging these capabilities to explore new possibilities and achieve remarkable outcomes in the cloud. When large companies decide to locate or move critical business applications to the cloud, they often worry about security. Making decisions to move certain applications to the cloud should not create new security risks. Companies are concerned about things like hackers getting access to their data, unauthorized people viewing or tampering with sensitive information, and meeting compliance regulations. To address these concerns, it’s important for companies to implement strong security measures in the cloud, such as strict access controls, encrypting data, constantly monitoring for threats, and following industry security standards. Unfortunately, even with the best tools and safeguards in place it is hard to protect against everything. Human error plays a major part in this and can introduce threats with a few small mistakes in configuration files or security rules that can create unnecessary security risks. The CloudFlow solution from AlgoSec is a network security management solution designed for cloud environments. It provides clear visibility, risk analysis, and helps identify unused rules to help with policy cleanup across multi-cloud deployments. With CloudFlow, organizations can manage security policies, better understand risk, and enhance their overall security in the cloud. It offers centralized visibility, helps with policy management, and provides detailed risk assessment. With Algosec Cloud, and support for Google Cloud, many companies are gaining the following new capabilities: Improved visibility Identifying and reduce risk Generating detailed risk reports Optimizing existing policies Integrating with other cloud providers and on-premise security devices Improve overall visibility into your cloud environments Gain clear visibility into your Google Cloud, Inventory, and network risks. In addition, you can see all the rules impacting your Google Cloud VPCs in one place. View network and inherited policies across all your Google Cloud Projects in one place. Using the built-in search tool and filters it is easy to search and locate policies based on the project, region, and VPC network. View all the rules protecting your Google Cloud VPCs in one place. View VPC firewall rules and the inherited rules from hierarchical firewall policies Gain visibility for your security rules and policies across all of your Google Cloud projects in one place. Identify and Reduce Risk in your Cloud Environments CloudFlow includes the ability to identify risks in your Google Cloud environment and their severity. Look across policies for risks and then drill down to look at specific rules and the affected assets. For any rule, you can conveniently view the risk description, the risk remediation suggestion and all its affected assets. Quickly identify policies that include risk Look at risky rules and suggested remediation Understand the assets that are affected Identify risky rules so you can confidently remove them and avoid data breaches. Tip: Hover over the: Description icon : to view the risk description. Remediation icon: to view the remediation suggestion. Quickly create and share detailed risk reports From the left menu select Risk and then use the built-in filters to narrow down your selection and view specific risk based on cloud type, account, region, tags, and severity. Once the selections are made a detailed report can be automatically generated for you by clicking on the pdf report icon in the top right of the screen. Generate detailed risk reports to share in a few clicks. Optimize Existing Policies Unused rules represent a common security risk and create policy bloat that can complicate both cloud performance and connectivity. View unused rules on the Overview page, for each project you can see the number of Google Cloud rules not being used based on a defined analysis period. This information can assist in cleaning the policies and reducing the attack surface. Select analysis period Identify unused rule to help optimize your cloud security policies Quickly locate rules that are not in use to help reduce your attack surface. Integrate with other cloud providers and on-premise security devices Manage Google Cloud projects, other cloud solutions, and on-premise firewall devices by using AlgoSec Cloud along with the AlgoSec Security Management Suite (ASMS). Integrate with the full suite of solutions from AlgoSec for a powerful and comprehensive way to manage applications connectivity across your entire hybrid environment. CloudFlow plus ASMS provides clear visibility, risk identification, and other capabilities across large complex hybrid networks. Resources- Quick overview video about CloudFlow and Google Cloud support For more details about AlgoSec Security Management Suite or to schedule a demo please visit- www.algosec.com Schedule a demo Related Articles 2025 in review: What innovations and milestones defined AlgoSec’s transformative year in 2025? AlgoSec Reviews Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Navigating Compliance in the Cloud AlgoSec Cloud Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read 5 Multi-Cloud Environments Cloud Security Mar 19, 2023 · 2 min read Speak to one of our experts Speak to one of our experts Work email* First name* Last name* Company* country* Select country... Short answer* By submitting this form, I accept AlgoSec's privacy policy Schedule a call

Join Algosec and be part of a global team driving innovation in network security. Explore exciting career opportunities and grow with us. Find a job By Job Category By Location By Keyword - Found 31 Positions - Regional Sales Engineer, Canada Read More Customer Success Manager, India Read More Professional Services Engineer, India Read More Regional Sales Manager, West Read More Sales Development Representative, West Read More Regional Sales Manager, Canada Read More Suite Software Developer, India Read More Customer Success Manager (Technical), US Read More CloudFlow Developer, India Read More AlgoSec Resident Engineer, India Read More Channel Manager, West Read More Full Stack Automation Developer, India Read More Channel Manager, Central Read More CloudFlow Automation Developer, India Read More Regional Sales Manager, DACH Read More Automation TL, India Read More Regional Sales Manager, Ohio Valley Read More Regional Sales Manager, Pacific NW Rockies Read More Software Developer, India Read More Technical Support Engineer, Brazil Read More Customer Success Manager (Technical), UK Read More AlgoNext Automation Developer, India Read More Regional Sales Engineer, Southeast Read More Sales Development Representative, EMEA Read More Cloud Automation Developer, India Read More Sales Development Representative, Germany Read More AlgoSec Resident Engineer, Netherlands Read More Assistant Controller, Israel Read More Automation Team Lead Read More IT Engineer- Student Read More Product Marketing Manager, IL Read More