THE IMPACT OF COMPLEX FIREWALLS – Is firewall complexity expensive?

THE COSTS OF COMPLEXITY Understanding the Consequences of Firewall Policies Gone Wild HOW BIG IS THE PROBLEM? 73% OF RULE BASES ARE CONSIDERED COMPLEX OR OUT OF CONTROL. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: 1. Unused/obsolete rules and objects 63% 2. Lack of tools for analysis 59% 3. Redundant rules 42% WHAT DOES THIS IMPACT? are concerned with the time TIME 70% it takes to identify where to add a rule 35% worry about how long it takes to load a policy COMPLIANCE are concerned about not 37% being compliant PCI requires recertification of firewall rules and ACL lists every 6 months SECURITY worry about potential security gaps 65% Ponemon Institute found REVENUE $1M $1M the average cost of a data breach is $3.5M $1M increase in cost over last year 15% THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS... ALTHOUGH 77% AGREE AUDITS SHOULD BE PERFORMED AT LEAST ONCE PER QUARTER, FEW ACT. Only HALF analyze firewall policies for performance optimization at least once per quarfer Only 35% analyze firewall policies to prove firewall compliance at least once per quarter YOU CAN TAME YOUR FIREWALL TIPS FOR GETTING CONTROL OF YOUR FIREWALL: Review the rules at least every 6 months Assess security access through the firewall RISKY SERVICES RULES WITH EXCESSIVE INBOUND AND ANY ACCESS OUTBOUND Remove unused and hidden rules Document the business purpose of every rule IT'S EASIER THAN YOU THINK: www.firemon.com/costsofcomplexity F IREM Q N