Compliance and Audit Requirements

Many organizations must demonstrate firewall compliance with regulatory standards. Implementing proper controls and documentation supports audit requirements while improving security.

Audit Trail Maintenance: Preserve comprehensive audit trails of all firewall changes:

-- Firewall change audit table
CREATE TABLE firewall_audit (
    change_id UUID PRIMARY KEY,
    timestamp TIMESTAMP NOT NULL,
    user_id VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
    change_type VARCHAR(50) NOT NULL,
    rule_before TEXT,
    rule_after TEXT,
    justification TEXT NOT NULL,
    ticket_number VARCHAR(50),
    approval_status VARCHAR(50),
    approved_by VARCHAR(255),
    INDEX idx_timestamp (timestamp),
    INDEX idx_user (user_id)
);

-- Audit query examples
-- Changes by user in last 30 days
SELECT user_id, COUNT(*) as change_count
FROM firewall_audit
WHERE timestamp > DATE_SUB(NOW(), INTERVAL 30 DAY)
GROUP BY user_id;

-- Unapproved changes
SELECT *
FROM firewall_audit
WHERE approval_status != 'approved'
AND timestamp > DATE_SUB(NOW(), INTERVAL 90 DAY);

Regular Reviews: Schedule periodic firewall rule reviews:

# Automated rule review script
def review_firewall_rules():
    rules = get_all_firewall_rules()
    review_report = []
    
    for rule in rules:
        # Check rule age
        if rule.created_date < datetime.now() - timedelta(days=365):
            review_report.append({
                'rule_id': rule.id,
                'issue': 'Rule older than 1 year',
                'recommendation': 'Review for continued necessity'
            })
        
        # Check overly permissive rules
        if rule.source == '0.0.0.0/0' and rule.port not in [80, 443]:
            review_report.append({
                'rule_id': rule.id,
                'issue': 'Overly permissive source',
                'recommendation': 'Restrict to specific IPs/ranges'
            })
        
        # Check for unused rules
        if rule.hit_count == 0 and rule.age_days > 30:
            review_report.append({
                'rule_id': rule.id,
                'issue': 'No hits in 30+ days',
                'recommendation': 'Consider removal'
            })
    
    return review_report