What is a Mobile Firewall?
A mobile firewall is a hardware and software system that is designed to protect wireless communication networks from unauthorized access and use. The whole system works when it is used connectively and if the mobile node, the firewall hardware and software system, and the network itself are present and operational. The mobile communications firewall system is made and designed to safeguard the network's system together with all of the mobile clients or subscribers that make use of the services offered by the network.
The mobile firewall system acts as an intermediary between the mobile node and the network system. All incoming network traffic will first go through the firewall system to be screened before being allowed to "punch through" the firewall. Once the mobile node has been granted access by the firewall, it could access the "pinholes" through which the mobile node could utilize the services it has requested. The mobile network could also be designed to work in a closed group, composed of a number of working firewalls that could be controlled by a centralized system for easy administration.
How a Mobile Firewall Works
A mobile node (the mobile network subscriber) requests access to the network's services. The mobile node's request will pass through the mobile firewall system where it is screened and checked for validity and authorization.
The mobile firewall system will send a verification request to the network to check an existing database for a matching profile for the mobile node that has made the request. If a mobile node firewall profile match is found, a predetermined static pinhole would then be opened so that the mobile node's request could pass through and access to the network granted. As the request is processed by the network, an outside node will be able to receive the data transmitted by the mobile node.
Numerous mobile nodes could also be accommodated by using the mobile firewall system in a collective and collaborative manner. In the case of multiple mobile node requests, numerous mobile firewall systems which are interconnected will simultaneously or relatively request validations from the network which is capable of accommodating voluminous network traffic.
These requests, once validated, are sent to the mobile firewall in the form of instructions so that the mobile firewall system will open the corresponding static pinholes for every mobile node present in the process. Once transmission is finished, the network sends instructions to the firewall to close the firewall pinhole that was recently opened for the mobile node.
In cases where the mobile node fails to match any of the mobile node firewall profiles present in the network database, the network will instruct the mobile firewall system to deny the mobile node any form of access.
Application
The mobile firewall system could be utilized by a network that offers a mobile communication system so as to protect and secure the integrity of the network system. The firewall system is designed to ensure that no unauthorized access will be allowed to pass through the mobile communication system.
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