🔸 Network Firewalls (Hardware & Software-Based)
These tools control incoming/outgoing traffic based on predefined security rules.
| Tool | Type | Key Features | Pricing | Official Link |
|---|
| pfSense | Open-source Firewall | Stateful packet filtering, VPN, IDS/IPS, high customization | Free (Open Source), Paid Support | pfsense.org |
| OPNsense | Open-source Firewall | Traffic shaping, IDS/IPS, VPN, proxy support | Free (Open Source) | opnsense.org |
| FortiGate | Hardware/Software | NGFW, antivirus, intrusion prevention, web filtering, VPN | Starts ~$500 (hardware), Custom Quotes (software) | fortinet.com |
| Cisco Firepower | Hardware/Software | Advanced malware protection, URL filtering, threat intelligence | Custom Pricing | cisco.com |
| Sophos XG Firewall | Hardware/Software | Deep packet inspection, VPN, sandboxing, zero-day protection | Free (Home), Paid from $249/year | sophos.com |
| WatchGuard Firebox | Hardware/Software | Unified threat management (UTM), VPN, APT blocking | Starts ~$500 | watchguard.com |
| SonicWall | Hardware/Software | Stateful firewall, VPN, DPI-SSL, botnet filtering | Starts ~$400 | sonicwall.com |
| Untangle NG Firewall | Software/Appliance | Web filtering, virus blocker, VPN tunneling, app control | Free (Basic), Paid from $25/month | untangle.com |
🔸 Cloud Firewalls & WAFs (Web Application Firewalls)
Designed for cloud environments and application-level protection.
| Tool | Type | Key Features | Pricing | Official Link |
|---|
| AWS WAF | Cloud-based WAF | Protects web apps from common exploits, custom rule sets | Pay-as-you-go, ~$5/month base | aws.amazon.com/waf |
| Azure Firewall | Cloud Firewall | High availability, scalability, threat intelligence integration | Starts ~$1/hour + traffic fees | azure.microsoft.com |
| Cloudflare WAF | Cloud-based WAF | DDoS protection, OWASP top 10 mitigation, bot management | Free (basic), Pro at $20/month | cloudflare.com |
| Imperva Cloud WAF | Cloud-based WAF | Bot protection, DDoS mitigation, API security | Starts ~$59/month | imperva.com |
| Akamai Kona Site Defender | Cloud-based WAF | Application protection, DDoS mitigation, API security | Custom Pricing | akamai.com |
| F5 Advanced WAF | Cloud/On-Premise | Credential stuffing protection, bot mitigation, L7 DDoS defense | Custom Pricing | f5.com |
🔸 Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFWs)
Combines traditional firewall features with advanced security capabilities.
| Tool | Key Features | Pricing | Official Link |
|---|
| Palo Alto Networks NGFW | Threat prevention, URL filtering, sandboxing, IoT security | Custom Pricing | paloaltonetworks.com |
| Check Point NGFW | Advanced threat prevention, IPS, SSL inspection, identity awareness | Custom Pricing | checkpoint.com |
| Juniper SRX Series | Scalable NGFW, intrusion prevention, app security, DDoS protection | Starts ~$1,000 | juniper.net |
| Barracuda CloudGen Firewall | WAN optimization, malware protection, cloud security | Starts ~$1,000 | barracuda.com |
🔸 DDoS Protection & Mitigation Tools
Dedicated services and tools to protect networks against Distributed Denial of Service attacks.
| Tool | Key Features | Pricing | Official Link |
|---|
| Cloudflare DDoS Protection | Always-on DDoS mitigation, L3/4/7 protection, CDN integration | Free (Basic), Paid Pro Plans | cloudflare.com |
| AWS Shield | Managed DDoS protection, integrated with AWS WAF | Free (Standard), Advanced ~$3,000/month | aws.amazon.com/shield |
| Akamai Prolexic | Global DDoS mitigation platform, scrubbing centers | Custom Pricing | akamai.com |
| Radware DefensePro | Behavioral-based protection, SSL attack mitigation, zero-day DoS | Custom Pricing | radware.com |
| Arbor Networks APS | Automated DDoS protection, real-time visibility, threat intelligence | Custom Pricing | netscout.com |
🔸 Network Intrusion Detection/Prevention Systems (NIDS/NIPS)
Monitors and analyzes network traffic for signs of intrusion or attacks.
| Tool | Key Features | Pricing | Official Link |
|---|
| Snort | Open-source IDS/IPS, real-time traffic analysis, packet logging | Free | snort.org |
| Suricata | Open-source NIDS/IPS/NSM, multi-threading, high-speed analysis | Free | suricata.io |
| Zeek (formerly Bro) | Network security monitoring, protocol analysis, anomaly detection | Free | zeek.org |
| Cisco Secure IPS | Intrusion prevention, threat intelligence, encrypted traffic analytics | Custom Pricing | cisco.com |
| OSSEC | Host-based IDS, log monitoring, file integrity checking | Free, Enterprise Pricing | ossec.net |
🔸 Secure DNS & Filtering Tools
Enhance network security by filtering malicious sites and DNS requests.
| Tool | Key Features | Pricing | Official Link |
|---|
| Cisco Umbrella | Secure DNS, cloud-delivered firewall, threat intelligence | Starts ~$2/user/month | umbrella.cisco.com |
| Quad9 | Free DNS security, malware blocking, privacy-focused | Free | quad9.net |
| CleanBrowsing | DNS filtering, parental controls, malware blocking | Free, Paid from $59/year | cleanbrowsing.org |
| NextDNS | DNS-based content filtering, privacy-first, analytics | Free, Paid from $1.99/month | nextdns.io |
✅ Categories Recap
| Category | Description |
|---|
| Network Firewalls | Filters traffic based on rules (hardware/software) |
| Cloud Firewalls & WAFs | Protect cloud/web apps from threats |
| Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFWs) | Combines traditional firewall with advanced threat prevention |
| DDoS Protection | Prevents network downtime from distributed attacks |
| IDS/IPS Systems | Detects and prevents network intrusions |
| DNS Filtering | Blocks malicious sites at the DNS level |
