Learning from the Next-Gen Firewall

Ron Wilson, Intel FPGA
September 13, 2017

Torrents of packets will cascade into the data center: endless streams of data from the Internet of Things (IoT), massive flows of cellular network traffic into virtualized network functions, bursts of input to Web applications. And hidden in the cascades, far darker bits try to slip through: cyber attacks. They may seek to interfere with applications, steal private data, recruit servers into bot nets, infect data-center clients, encrypt and ransom vital files, or even do physical harm over the IoT. They are always out there, probing for an opening, altering their disguises, trying novel attacks.

Between our world and this mayhem stand firewalls—layers upon layers of defenses built over historically shaky foundations, always trying to catch up with the attackers. Over the years firewalls have grown from light-weight software packages into multilayered, hardware-reinforced defenses in depth. They have marshalled new computing technologies. And by watching their continuing battle, we can get an understanding of what security will mean, not just in data centers, but at the edge of the IoT—in edge computing and in endpoints.

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