packet-filtering capability

A network security function — <cite index="2-1">the ability to selectively control the flow of packets to or from an interface by examining information in each packet's header — that operates on inbound and outbound traffic based on combinations of fields such as source and destination IP addresses, IP protocol, and source and destination ports.</cite> It is built into most operating systems and routing-capable devices, with the network router employing access control lists being its most common pure instantiation. Unlike more advanced inspection methods, it does not analyze the content of packets; its access control functionality is governed by a set of directives referred to as a ruleset. In compliance and security architecture contexts, the expression names a functional attribute that a device, system, or boundary component either possesses or exposes — used to describe what network-layer enforcement a control point can provide, independently of whether that point is a dedicated firewall, a router, an operating system, or a multi-function gateway.

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