THE NETWORK DMZ, HOW IT WORKS AND THE BENEFITS
THE NETWORK DMZ, HOW IT WORKS AND THE BENEFITS
What is a Network DMZ?
A DMZ, or demilitarized zone, in computer networks, is a physical or logical subnet that divides a local area network (LAN) from other untrusted networks, most often the public internet. Perimeter networks and screened subnetworks are other names for DMZs.
Any service offered to public internet users should be hosted on the DMZ network. External-facing servers, resources, and services are often housed at this location. Web, email, domain name systems, File Transfer Protocol, and proxy servers are some of the most prevalent of these services.
The DMZ’s servers and resources are available over the internet, but the remainder of the internal LAN is inaccessible. This method adds an extra layer of protection to the LAN by limiting a hacker’s ability to directly access internal servers and data from the internet.
Hackers and cybercriminals can get access to systems that perform services on DMZ servers. These servers must be hardened to survive the continuous attacks. The phrase DMZ refers to the geographical buffer zone established between North and South Korea after the end of the Korean War.
What is the importance of DMZs?
DMZs enable network separation that aids in the protection of internal business networks. These subnetworks limit external access to internal servers and resources, making it harder for attackers to get access to the internal network. This method may be applied to both individual individuals and huge businesses.
Businesses isolate internet-facing apps and servers in a DMZ to keep them separate from the internal network. The DMZ separates these resources so that if they are compromised, the assault is unlikely to result in exposure, harm, or loss.
How does a demilitarized zone work?
DMZs serve as a barrier between the public internet and the private network. The DMZ subnet is configured between two firewalls. Before arriving at the servers in the DMZ, all inbound network packets are checked using a firewall or other security appliance.
If more prepared threat actors get past the initial firewall, they must next get illegal access to the services in the DMZ before they can cause any harm. These systems are almost certainly protected against such assaults.
Finally, even if well-resourced threat actors seize control of a DMZ-hosted system, they must still breach the internal firewall before they can access critical company resources. Even the most secure DMZ design may be breached by determined attackers. A DMZ under assault, on the other hand, will trigger alerts, providing security experts with adequate warning to prevent a full penetration of their firm.
What are the advantages of using a DMZ?
The key advantage of a DMZ is that it provides public internet users with access to certain protected services while acting as a buffer between those users and the private internal network. This buffer provides various security benefits, including the following:
Control of access:- A DMZ network controls access to services accessible via the internet that are located outside an organization’s network perimeters. It also introduces network segmentation, which raises the number of barriers a user must overcome before getting access to an organization’s private network. In certain circumstances, a DMZ contains a proxy server, which centralizes the flow of internal – often, employee – internet traffic and simplifies recording and monitoring.
Preventing network reconnaissance:- A DMZ also prevents an attacker from scouting possible targets within the network. Even if a system in the DMZ is hacked, the internal firewall protects the private network and keeps it separate from the DMZ. This configuration makes aggressive external reconnaissance more difficult. Although the servers in the DMZ are publicly accessible, they are protected by an additional layer of security. The DMZ’s public face prevents attackers from viewing the contents of the internal private network. Even if attackers penetrate the servers in the DMZ, they are still isolated from the private network by the DMZ’s internal barrier.
Anti-spoofing of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses:- In certain circumstances, attackers attempt to circumvent access control constraints by spoofing an allowed IP address to mimic another network device. A DMZ can thwart possible IP spoofing while another service on the network confirms the authenticity of the IP address by evaluating whether it is accessible.
What are DMZs used for
For almost as long as firewalls have been in use, DMZ networks have been an integral aspect of company network security. They are used for the same reasons: to safeguard critical organizational systems and resources. DMZ networks are frequently used for the following purposes:
Separate possible target systems from internal networks;
limit and regulate external user access to those systems, and host business resources to make some of them available to approved external users.
Recently, businesses have decided to isolate sections of the network or specialized applications from the rest of the corporate environment by using virtual machines or containers. Cloud computing has essentially eliminated the requirement for many enterprises to maintain in-house web servers. Many of the external-facing infrastructures that were formerly hosted in the business DMZ, such as software-as-a-service apps, have migrated to the cloud.
DMZ network architecture and design
There are several approaches to designing a network with a DMZ. One or two firewalls are used in each of the two basic techniques, while most current DMZs are configured with two firewalls. This method may be extended to produce more complicated designs.
A network architecture with a DMZ can be built using a single firewall with at least three network interfaces. The external network is created by connecting the public internet to the firewall on the first network interface via an internet service provider connection. The second network interface is used to construct the internal network, while the third network interface is used to join the DMZ network.
Different sets of firewall rules for monitoring traffic between the internet and the DMZ, the LAN and the DMZ, and the LAN and the internet tightly control which ports and types of traffic are allowed into the DMZ from the internet, limit connectivity to specific hosts in the internal network, and prevent unauthorized connections from the DMZ to the internet or the internal LAN.
A dual-firewall setup, in which two firewalls are deployed with the DMZ network positioned between them, is a more secure method of building a DMZ network. The first firewall, often known as the perimeter firewall, is set up to allow only external traffic bound for the DMZ. The second firewall, or internal firewall, lets only traffic from the DMZ to the internal network.
The dual-firewall technique is deemed more secure since an attacker must compromise two devices before gaining access to the internal LAN. Security restrictions can be tailored to each network segment. A network intrusion detection and prevention system in a DMZ, for example, maybe set to block all traffic except Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure requests to Transmission Control Protocol port 443.
Examples of DMZs
DMZs are utilized in a variety of ways, including the following:
Cloud computing services. Some cloud services, such as Microsoft Azure, employ a hybrid security strategy in which a DMZ is set up between an organization’s on-premises network and the virtual network. This strategy is generally utilized when an organization’s applications run partially on-premises and partially on the virtual network. It’s also employed in situations when outbound traffic must be audited or granular traffic management is necessary between the virtual network and the on-premises data centre.
Home networks:- A DMZ is also helpful in a home network when PCs and other devices are linked to the internet through a broadband router and configured into a LAN. A DMZ host functionality is available on certain home routers. This is in contrast to the DMZ subnetwork used in enterprises with much more devices than a household. The DMZ host feature allows one device on the home network to operate outside the firewall, acting as the DMZ while the rest of the home network remains within the firewall. In certain circumstances, a gaming console is designated as the DMZ host to prevent the firewall from interfering with gameplay. Also, the console is an excellent choice for DMZ hosting since it likely contains less sensitive information than a personal computer.
Control systems for industry (ICS):- DMZs may offer a viable answer to the security problems associated with ICSes. Industrial equipment, such as turbine engines or ICSes, is being integrated with information technology (IT), which makes production settings smarter and more efficient while also increasing the threat surface. Much of the industrial or operational technology (OT) equipment that connects to the internet is not built to withstand assaults in the same way that IT devices are. A DMZ can strengthen network segmentation, making it more difficult for ransomware or other network threats to penetrate the gap between IT systems and their more vulnerable OT equivalent
UK Cyber Security Group Ltd is here to help
Please check out our Cyber Essentials Checklist
Please check out our Free Cyber Insurance
If you would like to know more, do get in touch as we are happy to answer any questions. Looking to improve your cybersecurity but not sure where to start? Begin by getting certified in Cyber Essentials, the UK government’s scheme that covers all the technical controls that will provide the protection that you need to help guard against criminal attacks. Or just get in touch by clicking contact us
