Top 5 Open Source Firewall Software for Linux User

Why Firewall is Important

Today computer or internet security is the big problem for the computer users.

The Computer Intruders use a number of techniquesto attack a system. For, Example viruses, phishing scams, Trojan Horse, racking, intrusionor snooping.

So take a perfect step to protect your system by using a Firewall.

Definition

A Firewall is a computer network security feature used to stop unauthorized users from a private network.

It is hardware or software based network security system that controls the incoming and outgoing system traffic.

An open source firewall is very beneficial for network security and works for security management of Linux servers.

1. PfSense

2. ClearOS

3. Untangle NG Firewall

4. IPFire

5. Smoothwall Express

Index

PfSense Firewall

The PfSense is a powerful and most popular command based open source firewall.

It is powerful and flexible firewalling platform.

A number of big administrators and defense sectors use it as a firewall.

Firewall features

• Filtering by source/destination IP address, protocol.

• Supports Backup and restoration with files.

• Network Address Translation

• Stateful firewall

• Packet scrubbing

ClearOS Firewall

ClearOS firewall is a right network security solution for small businesses and home-based offices.

It is an Open Source Firewall responsible for the security management of Linux servers.

ClearOS offers a set of tools, structured in easy-to-use administration pages.

Firewall features

• Provides several levels of security

• Virtual Private Networking

• Web Proxy and Content Filtering

• Database and Web Server

• File and Print Services

Untangle NG Firewall

Untangle’s Firewall is network security solution based on IP address, protocol, and ports.

Untangle software come with Web Filter, Spam Blocker, Spyware Blocker, Virus Blocker and Phish Blocker.

Untangle NG firewall  is a network gateway between your network and the internet.

Firewall features

• Blocks sessions based on simple rules

• Filter unauthorized web request, malware and spam

• Track your network

• Rules can be based on a variety of attributes

IPFire Firewall

IPFire is an open source Linux firewall distribution, offers high-level network protection.

It is designed for high security of large corporations.

IPFire is set up easily and comes with expert features for professional networks.

Firewall features

• System monitoring and log analysis

• Quality of Service

• Dynamic DNS

• Wake-on-LAN (WOL)

• Outgoing firewall

Smoothwall Express

Smoothwall Express is an Open Source Project designed for security of Linux operating system.

It is a free Firewall that includes its own security-hardened Linux operating system.

Smoothwall Express is configured as an easy-to-use user interface and required a little knowledge of Linux to install or use.

Firewall features

• Simple to use Quality-of-Service

• List of bad IP addresses to block

• Outbound filtering

• IDS via automatically updated Snort rules

• Supports LAN, DMZ, and Wireless networks, plus External.

Conclusion

There are many open source Linux firewall software available on the internet.

Here in this presentation, we’ve come up with the list of high and low for the finest firewall solutions.