Performance Evaluation of Pfsense in Detecting and Preventing Network Attacks in Controlled Environments

Keywords:
Pfsense, Firewall, IDS/IPS, Network Security, Experimental Analysis

Abstract:
In the contemporary digital landscape, network security represents a critical challenge due to the increasing frequency and sophistication of cyberattacks. Firewall systems play a central role in protecting network infrastructure by filtering traffic and controlling access. pfSense, an open-source firewall solution based on the FreeBSD platform, offers a wide range of features, including VPN, IDS/IPS, and advanced traffic control mechanisms. This paper analyzes the effectiveness of the pfSense system in detecting and preventing various types of network attacks through experimental testing in both virtual and physical environments. The experiments encompass port scanning, brute-force attacks, and DDoS scenarios, utilizing tools such as Nmap, Hydra, and hping3. Research results indicate that pfSense, with properly configured IDS/IPS systems, can effectively detect and block a significant percentage of attacks, making it a reliable solution for network protection, particularly in resource-constrained environments.

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N. Jeličić, M. Šarac, “Performance Evaluation of Pfsense in Detecting and Preventing Network Attacks in Controlled Environments,” in Sinteza 2026 - International Scientific Conference on Information Technology, Computer Science, and Data Science, Belgrade, Singidunum University, Serbia, 2026, pp. 354-359. doi:10.15308/Sinteza-2026-354-359

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Jeličić, N., Šarac, M. (2026). Performance Evaluation of Pfsense in Detecting and Preventing Network Attacks in Controlled Environments. Paper presented at Sinteza 2026 - International Scientific Conference on Information Technology, Computer Science, and Data Science. doi:10.15308/Sinteza-2026-354-359

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