What Is Bastion Host?

Your firewall is like a bouncer at the club. It keeps all undesirable elements out and is not afraid to use its muscles if needed. But sometimes, you need to let someone in—someone who can't get in any other way. That's where bastions come in. Bastion hosts are specially designed computers deliberately exposed to the public network. Because it is the only node exposed to the outside world and is very susceptible to attack, it is placed on the outside of the firewall or the public side of a demilitarized zone (DMZ) in single firewall systems or between the two firewalls in double firewall systems. In network security, a bastion host is a computer that acts as a gateway to the rest of the network. It's like the bouncer at the door of a high-end club: it processes and filters all incoming traffic and keeps malicious traffic out of the network. Bastion hosts are most commonly used on internal networks, where they can be used to monitor and limit access to certain services. For example, if an employee requires to access an FTP server for work purposes, they would have to connect from their computer through their company's firewall first, then connect from there through another firewall into their company's network. Bastion hosts can also be used externally by hosting web or email servers. This way, if there are any cases with these services being accessed from outside your network (like if someone tries to hack into your mail server), it won't affect anything else within your internal infrastructure. The bastion host node is the gatekeeper of your network. It's not just a server—it's a security system designed to protect your network from outside threats. This is why it's so essential that you choose a bastion host wisely. The best bastion hosts are robust, reliable, and secure. They're also custom-built for their job, so they can't be used anywhere else in the network. Keeping your network secure requires using bastion hosts, constantly updated with the latest security measures and software updates. However, it's important to note that bastion hosts are still susceptible to attacks despite their primary function of protecting your network. Therefore, regular maintenance and audits are necessary to ensure their continued effectiveness. In some cases, bastion hosts may even be intentionally used as a lure to divert attacks from other areas of the system, facilitating easier detection and tracing of their origin.