ZyXEL Communications G-2000 Plus - Manual (Page 194)

ZyAIR G-2000 Plus User’s Guide
193 Chapter 15 Firewall Screens
You may define additional rules and sets or modify existing ones but please exercise extreme
caution in doing so.
Note: If you configure firewall rules without a good
understanding of how they work, you might inadvertently
introduce security risks to the firewall and to the protected
network. Make sure you test your rules after you configure
them.
For example, you may create rules to:
• Block certain types of traffic, such as IRC (Internet Relay Chat), from the LAN to the
Internet.
• Allow certain types of traffic, such as Lotus Notes database synchronization, from
specific hosts on the Internet to specific hosts on the LAN.
• Allow everyone except your competitors to access a Web server.
• Restrict use of certain protocols, such as Telnet, to authorized users on the LAN.
These custom rules work by comparing the Source IP address, Destination IP address and IP
protocol type of network traffic to rules set by the administrator. Your customized rules take
precedence and override the ZyAIR’s default rules.
15.3 Rule Logic Overview
Note: Study these points carefully before configuring rules.
15.3.1 Rule Checklist
1 State the intent of the rule. For example, This restricts all IRC access from the LAN to the
Internet. Or, This allows a remote Lotus Notes server to synchronize over the Internet to
an inside Notes server.
2 Is the intent of the rule to forward or block traffic?
3 What direction of traffic does the rule apply to (See “Types of Firewalls” on page 178)?
4 What IP services will be affected?
5 What computers on the LAN are to be affected (if any)?
6 What computers on the Internet will be affected? The more specific, the better. For
example, if traffic is being allowed from the Internet to the LAN, it is better to allow only
certain machines on the Internet to access the LAN.