Firewalls: Great Network Security Devices, but Not a "Silver Bullet" Solution

In construction, a firewall is a hardened divider between the hostile external environment outside and what needs to be protected inside. Similarly, firewalls are designed to protect computers from being accessed by unauthorized individuals, and for the most part, they perform this task well. Unfortunately, firewalls are also akin to the castles of old when siege weapons were built to defeat the highest walls. As the siege weapons became more powerful, the defenders were forced to build the walls yet higher and install moats and other protective measures. Similarly, today, hackers and so-called crackers are always trying to overcome security devices for profit, pleasure or for more nefarious purposes such as denial of service attacks by terrorist organizations. To gain some fresh insights in this area, this paper presents a review of the relevant scholarly and peer-reviewed literature concerning...
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