| Abstract: | Firewall testing is one of the most useful of a set of alternatives for evaluating the security effectiveness of a firewall. A major advantage of firewall testing is being able to empirically determine how secure a firewall is against attacks that are likely to be launched by network intruders. This article advances the view that firewall testing should examine not only the ability of a firewall to resist attacks from external sources, but also the defences of the entire network that the firewall protects against external threats. Accordingly, testing should follow a systematic methodology to ensure that it is complete and appropriate, and to reduce the risk of damage and/or disruption to networks and hosts within. |
