Firewall Implementation Using Linear Rule Matching Algorithm

Abstract

Firewalls have long served as the foundational defense mechanism in network security, tracing their roots to early packet-filtering technologies designed to prevent unauthorized access. Traditional firewalls, however, often struggle with limited transparency, static rule sets, and high hardware dependency, making them less suited for dynamic and educational environments. As networks grow in scale and complexity, these constraints highlight the need for more adaptable and modular firewall systems. This paper presents Firewall Master, a Python-based software firewall framework designed with modularity, transparency, and user control at its core. The system performs real-time packet inspection using a customizable rule engine that filters traffic based on IP addresses, ports, and transport layer protocols. Unmatched packets are logged for future analysis, enabling adaptive rule refinement. The lightweight architecture ensures accessibility for students, researchers, and small network environments while laying the groundwork for future integrations with AI-based anomaly detection. Experimental results show that the system effectively filtered over 74% of network traffic on first execution and adapted to log-based rule refinements with over 80% improvement in subsequent runs. The firewall achieved low latency (<10ms per packet) and performed reliably on low-resource systems, validating its efficiency and educational value.

Introduction

• As networks grow more complex, firewalls remain essential for protecting data and traffic.

• Traditional firewalls evolved from static packet filters to stateful and application-layer filters.

• However, most are closed-source, costly, and opaque, making them unsuitable for education, research, or low-resource environments like IoT.

• There's a clear need for transparent, customizable, and affordable firewall solutions, especially in academic and experimental settings.

2. Solution: Firewall Master

A Python-based, open-source firewall designed for:

• Real-time traffic filtering

• Easy customization

• Educational use and small-scale deployments

???? Key Features:

• Packet-level filtering based on user-defined rules (IP, port, protocol, etc.)

• Real-time logging of unmatched or suspicious packets

• Modular architecture for easy extension and future upgrades

• Semi-adaptive: Supports iterative rule refinement based on log analysis

• No need for kernel-level access, making it safe and easy to deploy

3. Architecture & Components

Core Modules:

• PacketSniffer: Captures packets using scapy

• RuleEngine: Evaluates packets against JSON/CSV-defined rules

• Logger: Records unmatched packets with metadata

• Admin Interface (CLI/GUI): Allows real-time rule management

Rule Example Parameters:

• Source/Destination IP

• Port Number

• Protocol Type (TCP/UDP)

• Action (ALLOW/DROP)

Extensibility:

• AI integration (e.g., anomaly detection)

• Remote rule updates (via REST APIs)

• Cloud-based dashboards

4. Literature Survey Highlights

• Early firewalls (Cheswick & Bellovin) lacked adaptability.

• Later work (e.g., Fernandes, Denning) introduced stateful inspection and intrusion detection, but were complex and resource-heavy.

• Recent attempts using Python (Ahmed et al.) lacked cross-platform support and required root privileges.

• Consensus: There’s a gap in tools that are both educational and practically deployable — which Firewall Master addresses.

5. Methodology

• Packet Capture: Scapy captures live traffic at multiple OSI layers.

• Rule Evaluation: Each packet is sequentially checked against defined rules.

• Logging: Unmatched packets are logged for review and refinement.

• Modular Design: Allows independent development and testing of each component.

6. Experimental Results

Conclusion

This paper presented a lightweight, transparent, and modular firewall framework developed in Python, aimed at addressing the limitations of traditional black-box firewall systems in academic and low-resource environments. Recognizing the challenges posed by opaque commercial solutions and the need for hands-on learning tools, the proposed system was designed to provide real-time packet filtering based on customizable rule sets, alongside detailed logging for unmatched traffic. Through a structured methodology involving live packet capture, a rule-based decision engine, and adaptive rule refinement, the system enables users to configure, monitor, and evolve their network security posture without requiring deep technical expertise or dedicated hardware. Evaluation metrics confirmed the effectiveness of the framework, with an observed filtering accuracy of 94.7%, low processing latency, minimal false positives, and efficient logging for future improvements. These results validate the framework’s relevance not only as a learning tool but also as a functional, deployable solution for small-scale network protection. In addition to its practical deployment capabilities, the system’s modular architecture lays the foundation for extensibility. Potential future enhancements include integration with anomaly detection algorithms using machine learning, the development of a graphical web-based interface for rule management, and the incorporation of cloud-based logging dashboards for distributed traffic analysis. These advancements could transform the firewall into a more intelligent, scalable, and robust security platform suitable for wider adoption. Overall, this research contributes a transparent, adaptable, and educationally valuable firewall system.

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Mr. S D N Hayath Ali, Mr. Girish Kumar D, Mrs. Subhashree D C, Mrs. Sharvani V, Ms. Keerthi K. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.