Your organization’s most critical piece of your network security strategy is a firewall. Your firewall acts as a barrier between your internal network and potential external threats. It’s vital for keeping your sensitive information safe and maintaining network integrity. Unfortunately, many organizations fall prey to these seven mistakes in firewall management. These errors could make your networks vulnerable to cybersecurity issues like attacks, data breaches and compliance issues.

Doublecheck that you aren’t making any of these top seven mistakes in firewall management:  

Mistake 1: Neglecting to Block Traffic by Default

One of the more significant mistakes we see in firewall management is allowing all network traffic by default. An open-door policy increases the risk of security breaches and unauthorized access. To address this mistake, configure your firewall to block all traffic by default, only allowing specific, necessary services to communicate within your network. When you do this, your organization will maintain control over who has access to your network. This also helps minimize the potential for breaches while ensuring that only authorized traffic is permitted. 

Mistake 2: Lack of a Robust Firewall Configuration Change Plan

The second mistake in firewall management is making unplanned or ad-hoc configuration. This becomes a recipe for disaster. When your organization does not have a well-defined change management plan, you’ll risk creating loopholes in your network’s security. This also can lead to violating compliance regulations. A change management plan should: 

• Outline all necessary changes. 
• Assess risks.
• Include audit trails that record who made the changes and why. 

When you implement this approach, it guarantees that your firewall remains capable and strong in the defense of new threats.

Mistake 3: Overlooking the Optimization of Firewall Rules

Your firewall rules can become cluttered with conflicts and redundancies, which reduces the performance and opens a back door to security vulnerabilities. When you neglect to optimize the rules set forth, you’ll notice inefficiencies and increase risks. 

To improve your firewall management, regularly review and clean up your firewall rule base. Eliminate these three things to maintain effective, clear firewall guidelines:

• Redundant rules
• Outdated rules
• Conflicting rules

Mistake 4: Failing to Regularly Update Firewall Software

Don’t delay or flat out ignore your firewall’s software updates. It is critical because not updating can leave your network exposed to security threats. Software updates are released to address vulnerabilities and enhance security features. Best practice for firewall management is to schedule regular updates, which can be automated. It is vital to keep a proactive approach, as it keeps your firewall strong and minimizes any human error. 

Mistake 5: Skipping Regular Security Audits

In order to maintain compliance and detect any unauthorized changes, you’ll need to complete regular security audits. If you skip this part of your firewall management plan can result in undetected vulnerabilities and an increase in risk. Audits help to ensure your firewall complies with all regulations, whether internal or external. Add routine audits to ensure you are informed about all necessary updates and risks.

Mistake 6: Inadequate Management of Multi-Vendor Firewalls

Your organization, like many others, may use firewalls from multiple vendors to enhance the security of your firewall. However, firewall management can get tricky, leading to inconsistent policy enforcement and security gaps. Inadequate management can be avoided when using a centralized management tool. This allows you to create efficient policies, enforce them as well as providing a unified view of all firewall rules. A centralized management tool makes troubleshooting issues more accessible and effective.  

Mistake 7: Relying Solely on Firewalls for Network Security

A well-configured firewall is essential for your organization’s security but it shouldn’t be your only security measure. Consider creating a layered security approach to defend against complex threats. Integrate well-developed firewalls with other security measures, like antivirus software, encryption and intrusion detection systems. This layering will keep your network secure on all fronts. 

Keep Your Network Safe With Proactive Firewall Management 

Significantly enhance your network’s security posture when you avoid these common mistakes. A proactive approach can keep your organization safe from evolving threats. If you need extra staff in place to help revamp your firewall management practices, our experts are here to help. Book a call with us to get started.