Creating a New Firewall Policy in Google Cloud's VPC Network Firewall

Introduction

In this guide, we will walk through the process of creating a new firewall policy in Google Cloud's VPC (Virtual Private Cloud) Network Firewall. Firewall policies allow you to control and manage incoming and outgoing traffic to your virtual network.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following:

• A Google Cloud account.
• Access to the Google Cloud Console.
• An existing VPC network.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Accessing Google Cloud Console

• Open a web browser and navigate to Google Cloud Console.
• Sign in with your Google Cloud account credentials.

2. Navigating to VPC Network

• In the Google Cloud Console, locate and select "VPC Network" from the left-hand menu.

3. Creating a New Firewall Policy

• Click the "Firewall" tab to view the list of existing firewall rules.
• Click the "Create Firewall Policy" button to start creating a new policy.

4. Configuring Firewall Policy Details

• Name: Provide a unique name for your firewall policy.
• Description: Optionally, add a description to help identify the purpose of the policy.
• Target Service Accounts: Select the target service accounts, as All Instances in Network.
• Direction of traffic: Choose whether the policy applies to incoming or outgoing traffic.
• Action on match: Specify the action to take when a rule in this policy matches traffic (e.g., allow or deny).

5. Adding Firewall Rules

• Click the "Add Rule" button to define specific rules within your policy.
• Configure each rule with criteria such as source IP ranges, destination IP ranges, ports(TCP as 5900,5901,5902), and protocols.
• Define the action for each rule (e.g., allow or deny).

6. Review and Create

• Review your firewall policy configuration to ensure it matches your requirements.
• Click the "Create" button to create the firewall policy.

7. Applying the Policy

• Once the policy is created, you can apply it to specific VPC networks, subnets, or instances as needed.

8. Monitoring and Testing

• Monitor the traffic flow and test the firewall policy to ensure it functions as expected.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter any issues during the firewall policy creation process, consider the following:

• Check your VPC network configuration and ensure that it's properly set up.
• Verify that your firewall rules are correctly defined.

Best Practices

To optimize your firewall policies and network security, consider these best practices:

• Regularly review and update your firewall policies to reflect changing requirements.
• Implement logging for firewall rules to track and analyze traffic.
• Create separate policies for different segments of your network to maintain clarity.

Conclusion

Creating a firewall policy in Google Cloud's VPC Network Firewall is essential for securing your virtual network and controlling traffic flow. By following these steps, you can establish effective network security policies.