Chapter 15 Firewall

11Protect against IP spoofing by making sure the firewall is active.

12Keep the firewall in a secured (locked) room.

15.6.3Security Considerations

Note: Incorrectly configuring the firewall may block valid access or introduce security risks to the AMG1312-T Series and your protected network. Use caution when creating or deleting firewall rules and test your rules after you configure them.

Consider these security ramifications before creating a rule:

1Does this rule stop LAN users from accessing critical resources on the Internet? For example, if IRC is blocked, are there users that require this service?

2Is it possible to modify the rule to be more specific? For example, if IRC is blocked for all users, will a rule that blocks just certain users be more effective?

3Does a rule that allows Internet users access to resources on the LAN create a security vulnerability? For example, if FTP ports (TCP 20, 21) are allowed from the Internet to the LAN, Internet users may be able to connect to computers with running FTP servers.

4Does this rule conflict with any existing rules?

Once these questions have been answered, adding rules is simply a matter of entering the information into the correct fields in the web configurator screens.

15.6.4Triangle Route

When the firewall is on, your AMG1312-T Series acts as a secure gateway between your LAN and the Internet. In an ideal network topology, all incoming and outgoing network traffic passes through the AMG1312-T Series to protect your LAN against attacks.

Figure 94 Ideal Firewall Setup

LANWAN

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15.6.4.1 The “Triangle Route” Problem

A traffic route is a path for sending or receiving data packets between two Ethernet devices. You may have more than one connection to the Internet (through one or more ISPs). If an alternate gateway is on the LAN (and its IP address is in the same subnet as the AMG1312-T Series’s LAN IP address), the “triangle route” (also called asymmetrical route) problem may occur. The steps below describe the “triangle route” problem.

 

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AMG1312-T Series User’s Guide