A Web-based Firewall Simulator Tool for Information Security Education

Trabelsi, Z. and Mustafa, U.

Teaching practical information security requires the use of techniques, security and network devices and software, simulator tools, testbed networks, and hands-on lab exercises to support the educational process. This paper presents an educational web-based firewall simulator tool to help students learn the intricacies of writing firewall filtering rules to filter and inspect network traffic. The design principle of the simulator tool is to be easy to use while teaching the students the details of writing basic and advanced filtering rules. The simulator tool offers a set of educational functions that are not commonly available in professional firewalls. The tool can be used in any network and security course by instructors and students in the classroom. The impact of offering the simulator tool on the students` performance in terms of achieving the course outcomes is also discussed.

Cite as: Trabelsi, Z. and Mustafa, U. (2014). A Web-based Firewall Simulator Tool for Information Security Education. In Proc. Sixteenth Australasian Computing Education Conference (ACE2014) Auckland, New Zealand. CRPIT, 148. Whalley, J. and D\'Souza, D. Eds., ACS. 83-90

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