Ingress filtering is a technology that is designed to classify and prevent internet access by identifying unauthorized users. What ensures the security of an organization’s systems is a high-functioning ingress filtering system. The process of ingress filtering can be complex, but the main purpose behind it is to provide support for malicious cyberattacks, and it helps organizations identify unauthorized users and attacks on their networks. In order to understand how this technology works, one must first understand its goal.
A malicious hacker can take advantage of a weak firewall. A hacker can gain access to a system by simply entering the correct username and password (usually there is no need for a brute force attack). This unauthorized user has gained access to their system, and they will next try to look for valuable information within their network. The hacker may attempt to get into more systems after this point by using other methods such as social engineering, port scanning, or spear phishing. In order to protect their network, organizations must deploy an ingress filtering system that performs a deep dive analysis of the traffic that is being sent from an endpoint device (endpoint security) in order to identify unauthorized users and attacks on the network.
Ingress filtering is basically a process that examines every packet that enters a network in order to determine whether it should be allowed or denied access. With ingress filtering, the firewall acts as the intermediary between two systems and evaluates all traffic in an attempt to determine if it is malicious, and if so, blocks it or simply discards it.
Once an organization deploys an ingress filtering system, they can install software that detects network intrusion and back door attacks such as spyware, viruses, rootkits, remote administration tools, and Trojans. At this point, the software will try to identify any backdoors that are on their network.
Benefits:
- The ingress filter can detect unauthorized users before they have a chance to breach the business’ systems, thus preventing potential damage to the organization.
- Another benefit is that it can prevent unauthorized users from gaining access to valuable data and information within the company’s network.
Disadvantages:
- The process of ingress filtering can be complex, and so an organization may need to hire an IT professional for installation and maintenance purposes. However, most experts agree that it is worth investing in this process because it will provide security benefits.
Countermeasures:
Organizations can rely on the following countermeasures when trying to prevent unauthorized access to their network:
- Access control lists (ACLs).
- Port security.
- Web Application firewalls.
- Packet filtering and inspection firewalls.
- Intrusion detection systems and intrusion prevention systems.
- Authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) features of a router or switch.
- Secure remote access solutions such as virtual private networks (VPNs) and SSH tunneling are designed to encrypt traffic between the endpoint device (endpoint security) and the desired resources in the network.
- Having a strong anti-malware solution.
Conclusion:
Ingress filtering is a must for any organization that wants to provide the best security to its network. Trustworthy and reliable ingress filtering can amplify the cyber defense of your organization and prevent unauthorized intrusion.
