How next-generation firewalls are evolving in a world of AI-enabled cyberattacks

In today’s rapidly evolving threat landscape, the resilience of perimeter security is continuously being put to the test by the growing capabilities of AI-enabled attacks. Recent assessments have shown that some Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFWs) can effectively thwart up to 99% of known threats and can proactively identify anomalies indicative of emerging attack patterns. However, not all firewalls are created equal, underscoring the importance of thoroughly assessing the efficacy of your firewall solution to help ensure its enduring efficacy.

The IT landscape has experienced a monumental shift, transitioning from traditional data center architectures to hybrid and public cloud environments, and most recently, AI has brought with it a number of new technologies that add further to this growing attack surface. The pervasive adoption of public clouds alongside the proliferation of hybrid workforce models has dismantled the conventional concept of network perimeters. Enterprises must now manage workloads dispersed across multiple data centers, partner networks, and public clouds, making it imperative that their security solutions provide thorough protection in this new distributed ecosystem.

The emergence of AI-driven cyberattacks poses a formidable challenge to traditional security measures as threat actors utilize AI to increase the scale, sophistication, and speed of attacks, making it trivial to orchestrate attacks that evade conventional detection mechanisms. In this dynamic landscape, even well-known vulnerabilities can pose as Zero Day threats to legacy firewalls when AI is leveraged to subtly modify exploits and evade signature-based detection.

Moreover, organizations venturing into AI development must navigate a complex landscape of infrastructure requirements encompassing large datasets, data lakes, external GenAI applications, and internal AI models. Traditional firewalls are ill-equipped to safeguard AI infrastructure from emerging, AI-specific threats like prompt injection attacks on AI chatbots or malicious training data ingestion into large language models (LLMs). Attempting to protect against AI-driven threats with outdated firewalls is akin to driving a horse and buggy on a modern highway.

Today’s NGFWs must transcend traditional capabilities by incorporating AI-powered detection engines that are capable of identifying threats across all applications and endpoints, while maintaining up-to-date threat intelligence to effectively combat rapidly evolving cyber threats.

A firewall for the new generation

The good news is that modern firewalls have also migrated to the cloud, and some have also evolved to address AI-related threats. A modern NGFW can allow organizations to fortify their security posture across diverse cloud environments irrespective of the location of workloads.

The cloud is a rapidly changing environment. Studies indicate that a significant 20% of content stored in the cloud undergoes monthly alterations, highlighting the need for robust security measures at the network level to effectively enforce protective measures. This means that a strategically placed firewall in the correct location can be a much better solution than relying on constantly trying to install endpoint agents for comprehensive protection.

Furthermore, an in-line “runtime” firewall is essential to inspect and regulate all AI interactions and communications. Organizations must exercise meticulous control over the authorization of external AI applications while enforcing stringent guardrails to safeguard their proprietary AI solutions. Today’s leading NGFWs will incorporate comprehensive runtime AI security directly into their platform to help ensure protection.

Can your firewall stand up to the test?

Organizations operating in today’s hybrid cloud infrastructures demand firewalls that are capable of seamlessly protecting all of their applications, cloud platforms, and virtualized environments. Adapting their existing security policies and techniques into these new environments can present organizations with a major challenge that becomes even more complex when their environments stretch across multiple clouds, vendors, and application stacks.  This hybrid mesh architecture needs security solutions that mirror the diversity and agility of the networks and applications they safeguard.

Here are some critical things to consider when evaluating solutions:

• Does your firewall offer protection spanning every platform, application, and cloud environment? Inadequacies in this aspect can lead to critical oversights.
• AI-based protection is also key. Integration of AI-based defenses stands as a cornerstone in the battle against evolving cyber threats. Adversaries are leveraging AI and GenAI to enhance their attack methodologies, requiring AI-driven defenses to thwart potential breaches before they happen.
• Is your company planning to develop AI apps? If so, a specialized firewall designed to counter AI-specific threats like prompt injection and LLM data poisoning becomes mandatory.
• Predictive capabilities and seamless integration of threat intelligence also play pivotal roles in proactively combating zero-day and AI-enabled attacks.

Lastly, adopting a platform-centric security approach is paramount. Creating a unified ecosystem where the firewall is part of a comprehensive security platform, harnessing insights and informing other security functions, is essential for bolstering the overall defense posture.

The Evolving NGFW

While the cybersecurity and data center landscapes have witnessed a significant transformation over the years, firewalls have retained their critical role in safeguarding the environment. The latest iterations of firewalls are tailored to suit the demands of today’s hybrid mesh architectures, continuously adapting to fortify defenses amidst the escalating sophistication of AI-fueled attacks. Today’s strongest firewalls are evolving to help companies stay protected even as AI is enabling attacks to become more sophisticated.

How do you know if your firewall stands up to the test? Evaluating the efficacy of your firewall is imperative in ascertaining its resilience in today’s world of evolving cyber threats. Reference the recommended best practices to ensure your firewall is equipped to navigate the complexities of this landscape and can provide robust protection across all fronts. For a more comprehensive evaluation, consider conducting targeted efficacy tests and risk assessments to gauge the level of protection provided by your firewall and measure your current exposure.