LPFW alternatives

Looking for an alternative tool to replace LPFW? During the review of LPFW we looked at other open source tools. Based on their category, tags, and text, these are the ones that have the best match.

Top 3

  1. Douane (application firewall)
  2. OpenSnitch (application firewall)
  3. 0trace (reconnaissance tool and firewall bypassing)

These tools are ranked as the best alternatives to LPFW.

Alternatives (by score)

81

Douane

Introduction

Douane is an application firewall that blocks unknown or unwanted traffic. It provides a more fine-grained filtering as it looks at the combination of application and used network ports. This is useful when allowing common browse traffic on port 80 and 443. Instead of all applications being able to use this port, only the ones that are granted access will be able to do so. When a new connection is not trusted yet, Douane will ask to allow or deny the traffic stream.

Project details

Douane is written in C, C++, GTK+.

Strengths and weaknesses

  • + The source code of this software is available

    Typical usage

    • Network traffic filtering

    Douane review

    96

    OpenSnitch

    Introduction

    OpenSnitch is a tool based on Little Snitch, a macOS application level firewall. All outgoing connections are monitored and the user is alerted when a new outgoing connection occurs. This allows the user to detect and block any unwanted connections.

    Project details

    OpenSnitch is written in Golang.

    Strengths and weaknesses

    • + More than 3000 GitHub stars
    • + The source code of this software is available
    • - No releases on GitHub available

    Typical usage

    • Network traffic filtering

    OpenSnitch review

    56

    0trace

    Introduction

    0trace is a reconnaissance tool to perform so-called hop enumeration within an established TCP connection. The goal is to allow traceroute-like functionality, yet in an alternative way. It can be used to bypass firewall rules. Tools like 0trace are typically used during pentesting assignments.

    Project details

    63

    360-FAAR

    Introduction

    360-FAAR is a tool written in Perl to parse policies and logs from firewalls. It can compare firewall policies and translate between a policy and log data. Supported firewalls include Checkpoint FW1, Cisco ASA, and Netscreen ScreenOS.

    Project details

    360-FAAR is written in Perl.

    Strengths and weaknesses

    • + Project is mature (5+ years)
    • + The source code of this software is available

      Typical usage

      • Firewall auditing
      • Log analysis
      • Security assessment
      • Security reviews

      360-FAAR review

      60

      Assimilator

      Introduction

      A tool like Assimilator can be of great help to 'normalize' all firewall rules into one place. Especially when a company uses different firewalls, each with their own syntax and specifics. Assimilator will then simplify the way firewall rules are created and managed.

      Project details

      Assimilator is written in Python.

      Strengths and weaknesses

      • + The source code of this software is available

        Typical usage

        • Network traffic filtering

        Assimilator review

        60

        Chiron

        Introduction

        Chiron is a security assessment framework for IPv6. It provides several modules including an IPv6 scanner, IPv6 Local Link, IPv4-to-IPv6 proxy, IPv6 attack module, and IPv6 proxy. These modules help to perform an assessment, like a penetration test.

        The tool uses IPv6 extension headers to create a headers chain. This may allow evading security devices like IDS, IPS, and firewalls. Due to the flexibility of the framework, the tool can also be used to perform fuzzing of the IPv6 stack of a device.

        Project details

        Chiron is written in Python.

        Strengths and weaknesses

        • + The source code of this software is available
        • - No releases on GitHub available

        Typical usage

        • Network analysis
        • Network scanning
        • Network security monitoring

        Chiron review

        64

        DFWFW (Docker Firewall Framework)

        Introduction

        DFWFW, short of Docker Firewall Framework, offers easy administration of the iptables rules of Docker containers. It updates using event streams.

        Project details

        DFWFW is written in Perl.

        Strengths and weaknesses

        • + The source code of this software is available
        • - Full name of author is unknown

        Typical usage

        • Firewall management

        DFWFW review

        56

        FireAway

        Introduction

        FireAway is a security tool to test the security of a firewall by trying to bypass its rules. It will use different methods to hide data or avoid detection by the firewall itself. This tool can be used for both defensive as offensive security.

        Project details

        FireAway is written in Python.

        Strengths and weaknesses

        • + The source code of this software is available
        • - No releases on GitHub available
        • - Unknown project license

        Typical usage

        • Bypassing firewall rules
        • Firewall auditing
        • Network traffic filtering
        • Penetration testing

        FireAway review

        74

        FireHOL

        Introduction

        FireHOL is promoted as an iptables stateful packet filtering firewall for humans. It also comes with FireQOS, which a bandwidth shaper based on tc.

        Project details

        FireHOL is written in shell script.

        Strengths and weaknesses

        • + More than 500 GitHub stars
        • + The source code of this software is available

          Typical usage

          • Firewall management
          • Network traffic filtering

          FireHOL review

          63

          Knock

          Introduction

          Knock implements the principle of port knocking. It does so by using libpcap to sniff network traffic on interfaces and then use that to see if it matches a predefined sequence of steps.

          Project details

          Knock is written in C.

          Strengths and weaknesses

          • + Project is mature (10+ years)
          • - No updates for a while

          Knock review

          67

          iptables

          Introduction

          The iptables tool is the userspace command line program part of the netfilter project. Since Linux 2.4 it is the standard packet filtering engine. Among standard traffic filtering, it can be used for Network Address Translation (NAT).

          Project details

          iptables is written in C.

          Strengths and weaknesses

          • + The source code of this software is available
          • + Well-known tool

            Typical usage

            • Network traffic filtering

            iptables review

            67

            nftables

            Introduction

            nftables is supposed to replace netfilter as the primary interface of network filtering. It is available since Linux kernel 3.13. Both netfilter and nftables have been co-authored by Patrick McHardy.

            Project details

            nftables is written in C.

            Strengths and weaknesses

            • + The source code of this software is available

              Typical usage

              • Network traffic filtering

              nftables review

              60

              opensvp

              Introduction

              Tools like opensvp can be used to test the strength of a configuration from the outside. It makes it a good tool for penetration testing and security assessments. While people may feel safe to have a firewall in place, it might be unknowingly vulnerable to several attacks on protocol level. This tool helps with finding these weaknesses.

              Project details

              opensvp is written in Python.

              Strengths and weaknesses

              • + The source code of this software is available

                Typical usage

                • Application testing
                • Defense testing
                • Penetration testing
                • Security assessment

                opensvp review

                Some relevant tool missing as an alternative to LPFW? Please contact us with your suggestion.