Operation chain link: the deployment of a firewall at Hanscom Air Force Base

In March 1995, the Electronic Systems Center (ESC) based at the Hanscom Air Force Base (AFB), Massachusetts, commissioned the development and installation of a firewall around its unclassified network. Heightened awareness of Internet threats, concern over results of recent network security assessments, and a hacker break-in at a sister Air Force installation prompted this action. The paper addresses: the approach taken by the firewall development team, challenges the team confronted, and modifications the team would consider in future firewall deployments.