SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/tech-stateful-firewall

What extra context does a stateful firewall remember?

It tracks each connection in a state table.

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  1. Connection state ✔
  2. User typing speed
  3. Each user's password

Why: Stateful inspection remembers whether traffic belongs to an initiated or established connection. It can reject a packet that claims to belong to a session the firewall never observed.

Huh, didn't know that: A state table commonly records addresses, ports, and connection state.

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The stateful firewall remembered everyone who entered the conversation.
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References

Answer: Connection state. Stateful inspection remembers whether traffic belongs to an initiated or established connection. It can reject a packet that claims to belong to a session the firewall never observed.

  1. NIST SP 800-41 Rev. 1 nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/legacy/sp/nistspecialpublication800-41r1.pdf
    stateful inspection keeps track of each connection in a state table
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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