How does Cloud Firewall protect the UDP protocol?

A Cloud Firewall protects the UDP protocol by inspecting and filtering UDP traffic based on predefined security rules. Unlike TCP, UDP is a connectionless protocol, meaning it does not establish a formal connection before data transfer. This makes it more vulnerable to certain types of attacks, such as UDP flooding or malicious packet injection. A Cloud Firewall addresses these risks by:

1. Packet Inspection: Analyzing incoming and outgoing UDP packets to detect anomalies, such as malformed headers or suspicious payloads.
2. Rule-Based Filtering: Blocking or allowing UDP traffic based on criteria like source/destination IP, port numbers, or application signatures. For example, a rule can allow DNS queries (UDP port 53) while blocking non-essential UDP traffic.
3. Rate Limiting: Preventing UDP flood attacks by limiting the number of UDP packets per second from a single source.
4. Logging and Monitoring: Tracking UDP traffic patterns to identify potential threats and generate alerts for suspicious activity.

Example: A gaming company uses a Cloud Firewall to secure its UDP-based multiplayer servers. The firewall allows only UDP traffic on ports 27015–27030 (common for game servers) and blocks all other UDP ports. It also enforces rate limiting to prevent DDoS attacks that exploit UDP's lack of connection handshake.

For enhanced protection, Tencent Cloud's Security Group and Network Firewall services can be configured to manage UDP traffic with granular control, ensuring secure communication while mitigating risks.