Secure Web Gateway vs. Firewall

Secure web gateways (SWGs) and firewalls are both security solutions designed to protect organizations against malicious content entering the business and sensitive data leaving it. But, these solutions differ in their scope. SWGs focus solely on web traffic, while firewalls inspect all traffic crossing a protected network boundary.

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What is a Secure Web Gateway (SWG)?

A SWG is a cybersecurity solution that sits between users and the public Internet and may be available as an on-prem, cloud-based, or hybrid solution. It monitors web browsing traffic and filters malicious content or malicious traffic that violates corporate security rules.

URL filtering is a core function of a SWG and is designed to block web browsing to URLs that are known to be malicious or violate corporate security policies. For instance, if an organization’s acceptable use policy (AUP) bans the use of social media from the corporate network, a SWG may be configured to block all web traffic to those URLs.

SWGs also incorporate data loss prevention (DLP) capabilities for web traffic. For instance, a secure web gateway may be configured to block users from uploading files containing sensitive information or entering it into web forms.

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A firewall monitors network traffic and allows or blocks traffic from crossing a network boundary.

This includes both the perimeter separating the corporate network from the public Internet and internal network boundaries defined as part of a network segmentation strategy.

Firewalls come in various forms, ranging from packet filtering firewalls, which make decisions based solely on a packet’s header, to next-generation firewalls (NGFWs), which incorporate a range of advanced security features. These firewalls provide more general protection than a SWG, looking at all types of network traffic, including but not limited to HTTP(S) web traffic.

NGFWs offer many of the same capabilities as SWGs, including URL filtering and DLP. But, they also incorporate the core traffic filtering functionality of a firewall and an intrusion prevention system (IPS), sandboxed malware analysis, and other features designed to identify and block advanced web-based threats from crossing the protected private network boundary.

Secure Web Gateway vs. Firewall: 5 Key Differences

Some of the main differences between SWG and firewalls include:

Scope of Protection: SWGs are targeted at protecting an organization’s web traffic and will ignore other types of traffic. Firewalls provide more general protection, inspecting all traffic that crosses the network boundary.
Area of Focus: SWGs are primarily designed to protect an organization’s web users from visiting dangerous, malicious websites that steal passwords or deliver malware, or those banned by corporate policy. Firewalls are intended to protect the network from external threats like malware or cyberattacks.
OSI Layer: SWGs are primarily application layer (OSI Layer 7) solutions that examine the content of HTTP(S) traffic. Firewalls can operate at multiple OSI layers, including OSI Layer 7 in the case of NGFWs.
Core Functionality: SWGs offer URL filtering and DLP for web traffic as their core functions. While NGFWs also offer these features, they are more focused on filtering traffic at the network perimeter and blocking threats from entering the network.
Data Loss Prevention (DLP): SWGs can protect against data exfiltration via web protocols. NGFWs offer more general DLP, protecting against exfiltration via the web, FTP, and other types of network traffic.

How to Choose Between a SWG And a Firewall

SWGs and firewalls have many overlapping capabilities. A SWG offers protection focused on web traffic, while a firewall inspects and secures a wide variety of network protocols.

When choosing between a SWG and a firewall, it’s important to consider the use case and the business needs that the solution is intended to fulfill. Firewalls are designed to secure network boundaries, whether between a corporate network and the public Internet or between different segments within a corporate LAN.

SWGs offer focused protection for corporate web incoming traffic, protecting users against malicious online content and acting as a targeted enforcement point for corporate web security and acceptable use policies.

Secure Your Organization with Check Point

Since SWGs and firewalls have overlapping capabilities, it might seem like organizations should make a choice between the two. However, these two security tools are complementary solutions rather than competitors. With Harmony SASE, organizations can access both sets of capabilities as part of an integrated, cloud-based solution.

Firewalls are an essential component of a network security strategy to protect the corporate network from external threats. An NGFW is essential to block modern, advanced cyberattacks. SWGs provide tailored protection for corporate web traffic, enhancing an organization’s security against phishing sites, web-based data exfiltration, and similar online threats.

Check Point provides solutions that meet all an organization’s network security needs. To learn more about what to look for in an NGFW, check out this buyer’s guide. Then, feel free to sign up for a free demo of Check Point Quantum Force NGFW.