Allowing users unrestricted Internet access is almost certain to result in considerable time wastage, the illegal download of copyright music and increased problems from viruses, Trojans and spyware. With research showing that up to 40% of Internet usage by business users is unproductive; this is a problem that cannot be ignored. The ability to create outbound (egress) rules on your SmoothWall firewall puts you in control of what Internet services users can access.
Peer to Peer (P2P) networks are a particular cause for concern. Not only are they likely to be used to download illegal copies of copyright music but many employees have inadvertently shared confidential information with other P2P users. Unchecked, P2P networks can consume huge amounts of bandwidth and are also a major source of viruses, Trojans and spyware. However, most P2P networks defeat traditional firewall port blocking by using port agile software, routing the P2P traffic through almost any available IP port. SmoothWall's Deep Packet Inspection technology examines the contents of all data packets passing through the firewall for P2P traffic patterns, so that P2P can be blocked regardless of whichever port it attempts to use.
Multiple outbound (egress) rule-sets define what Internet services and ports can or cannot be accessed by particular user groups. These rule-sets enforce security policies upon users, normally restricting access to a narrow set of Internet activities, such as only allowing a group of users to browse the web and send/receive email. Several pre-defined rule-sets are available to enforce common usage policies, which can be augmented by administrator created rule-sets to customize the firewall behaviour to specific requirements. Rule sets can be applied to user groups, by user identity, by IP address, IP address range or by subnet. Internet game playing and Instant Messaging are typical examples of what can be blocked by firewall egress rules. Likewise, the De-Militarized Zone (DMZ) can also be subject to its own rule-sets, avoiding the risk of servers exposing unnecessary services and hence security vulnerabilities to the Internet.
The use of external email can be controlled by configuring a list of which, if any, external SMTP email servers can be used. Firstly, this prevents the use of personal email accounts, which would not be subject to message logging, as required by corporate governance law. Secondly, it stops the spread of viruses that incorporate their own SMTP server, by preventing them from sending virus infected email. Email sent via a local email server would not be affected by these controls - but if the organisation uses an external hosted email server this would have to be included in the list of permitted email servers.
When one realizes just how much non work-related Internet activity occurs, the potential trouble this can lead to and the increased risk of virus infestation and the bandwidth wastage - using your SmoothWall firewall to control Internet access makes perfect business sense.
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