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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/secplus-dmz-public-servers

Where do network designers commonly place public-facing web and email servers behind a firewall?

In a DMZ, a separate firewall interface that still enforces policy between it and the inside network.

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  1. A DMZ ✔
  2. Inside the internal user LAN
  3. Directly on the internet with no firewall

Why: A DMZ (demilitarized zone) is a separate network segment off the firewall. If a public server is compromised, traffic to the internal network still has to pass the firewall. That limits how far an attacker can move.

Huh, didn't know that: The term DMZ comes from the buffer zones set up between warring countries.

The dad joke
The web server asked for a transfer to the DMZ. It wanted to work somewhere with a little less internal drama.
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References

Answer: A DMZ. A DMZ (demilitarized zone) is a separate network segment off the firewall. If a public server is compromised, traffic to the internal network still has to pass the firewall. That limits how far an attacker can move.

  1. NIST SP 800-41 Rev. 1, Guidelines on Firewalls and Firewall Policy nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/Legacy/SP/nistspecialpublication800-41r1.pdf
    It is common to put public-facing servers, such as web and email
    Checked 2026-10-10.
  2. NIST SP 800-41 Rev. 1, Guidelines on Firewalls and Firewall Policy nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/Legacy/SP/nistspecialpublication800-41r1.pdf
    the demilitarized zones that are sometimes set up between warring countries
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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