1. Purpose
Establish requirements for the configuration and management of firewall controls to protect [ORGANIZATION]'s network infrastructure and assets.
2. Scope
This policy applies to all network firewalls (hardware and software), host-based firewalls, cloud security groups, and network access control lists managed by [ORGANIZATION].
3. Policy
3.1 Firewall Configuration
All firewalls shall be configured with a default-deny policy, allowing only explicitly authorized traffic.
Firewall rules shall specify: source address/network, destination address/network, port/protocol, direction (inbound/outbound), action (allow/deny), business justification, rule owner, and review date.
Any-any-allow rules are prohibited. All rules shall be as specific as possible.
Host-based firewalls shall be enabled and configured on all enterprise assets, including servers and end-user devices.
3.2 Firewall Rule Management
All firewall rule changes shall follow [ORGANIZATION]'s change management process and require approval from [CUSTOMIZE: Network Security Team/CISO].
Firewall rules shall be reviewed at least [CUSTOMIZE: quarterly/bi-annually] to identify and remove rules that are no longer required.
Temporary firewall rules shall include an expiration date not to exceed [CUSTOMIZE: 30/90] days and shall be automatically disabled or manually removed upon expiration.
Firewall logs shall be enabled for all denied traffic and for allowed traffic to sensitive network segments, with logs forwarded to [ORGANIZATION]'s centralized logging system.
3.3 Network Segmentation
Firewalls shall enforce network segmentation between: production and non-production environments, user networks and server networks, DMZ and internal networks, PCI/regulated data zones and general networks, and guest/visitor networks and corporate networks.
Traffic between network segments shall be filtered to allow only required business communications.
4. Compliance
Compliance with this policy is mandatory for all personnel within its scope. Compliance will be monitored through periodic audits, automated controls, and management review.
Exceptions to this policy must be documented with a business justification, approved by [CUSTOMIZE: CISO/Security Team], and reviewed at least annually.
5. Enforcement
Violations of this policy may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment or contract, and may result in civil or criminal penalties where applicable law has been violated.
[ORGANIZATION] reserves the right to audit compliance with this policy at any time, with or without notice.
6. Review and Revision
This policy shall be reviewed at least annually by [CUSTOMIZE: CISO/Policy Owner] and updated as necessary to reflect changes in the threat landscape, regulatory requirements, or organizational structure.
All revisions shall be documented with version number, date, author, and description of changes.
Policy Approval
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