Purpose:

The purpose of this document is to provide for the configuration, maintenance, control, and monitoring of network firewall devices used to protect the University’s network and information systems. 

Definition:

A firewall is a system designed to prevent unauthorized access to or from a private network.

Policy statement:

The firewalls at Northeastern State University (NSU) are used to:

• mitigate risks and losses associated with security threats to the University’s network and information systems
• establish Virtual Private Network between NSU campuses in Tahlequah, Broken Arrow, and Muskogee
• provide static IP translations to critical services which must be accessible on the Internet
• inspect packets and sessions to determine if they should be permitted or denied
• manage access to the University’s internal networks based on:
  • - application
  • - user authentication
  • - IP address and port
  • - outbound connections (permitted by default)
  • - inbound connections (denied by default)

The firewalls at NSU must be:

• protected by uninterruptible power supply to ensure stability in case of a power failure

• configured with a redundant failover unit to provide service continuity should the primary fail

• configured to export its log messages to designated server

• backed up and archived monthly