Context-Based Access Control (CBAC)

Context-Based Access Control (CBAC) is a per-application control mechanism that adds advanced traffic filtering functionality to firewalls that isn’t limited, as are access lists, to examining packets at the network or transport layer. While CBAC examines both of these layers, it also examines the application-layer protocol data to monitor the state of a given TCP or UDP session. This means, as multiple channels are created or used by applications such as SQL*Net, FTP, and RPC, CBAC can respond by creating temporary openings in the firewall access lists to allow return traffic and additional data connections for specified sessions that originated from within the protected network. This application-layer awareness and capability to evolve with the traffic is beyond the capabilities of access list technologies.