Firewall

1. A gateway system designed to prevent unauthorized access to a private network or intranet that is connected to the internet. A firewall can be implemented in either hardware or software, or a combination of both.

Source: Election Terminology Glossary - Draft, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), https://pages.nist.gov/ElectionGlossary/

2. A capability to limit network traffic between networks and/or information systems.

Source: Explore Terms: A Glossary of Common Cybersecurity Terminology, National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies (NICCS), https://niccs.us-cert.gov/about-niccs/glossary

3. A firewall is either a physical device or a computer program that sits in between a computer and the broader internet and filters out unwanted connections. The firewall’s job is to efficiently filter unwanted traffic between the computer and the rest of the internet. Firewalls can be used to mitigate some kinds of DDoS attacks.

Source: Election Cybersecurity 101 Field Guide – Glossary, Center for Democracy & Technology, https://cdt.org/insight/election-cybersecurity-101-field-guide-glossary/

4. A gateway computer and its software that protects a network by filtering the traffic that passes through it. Election offices often need to reconfigure the firewall to permit large files or complex files to be passed through the firewall that separates the office from the Internet.

Source: Information Technology Terminology, U.S. Election Assistance Commission, https://www.eac.gov/documents/2017/09/21/information-technology-terminology-security

5. The process integrated with a computer operating system that detects and prevents undesirable applications and remote users from accessing or performing operations on a secure computer.

Source: The State and Local Election Cybersecurity Playbook, Defending Digital Democracy Project, Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, https://www.belfercenter.org/sites/default/files/files/publication/StateLocalPlaybook%201.1.pdf

6. A hardware/software device or a software program that limits network traffic according to a set of rules of what access is and is not allowed or authorized.

Source: Explore Terms: A Glossary of Common Cybersecurity Terminology, National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies (NICCS), https://niccs.us-cert.gov/about-niccs/glossary

7. Devices or systems that act as a protective barrier controlling the flow of network traffic between networks or between a host and a network.

Source: U.S. Cyberspace Solarium Commission, March 2020, https://subscriber.politicopro.com/f/?id=00000170-c638-d8f7-a7f1-f63b33510000