DMZ stands for demilitarized zone. It is a network architecture that acts as a buffer zone between an organization's internal network and an external or untrusted network, typically the internet. The purpose of a DMZ is to provide an additional layer of security by segregating and isolating certain systems or services that need to be accessible from the internet.
The DMZ is designed to host publicly accessible services such as web servers, email servers, or FTP servers that need to be accessed by users outside the organization. Placing these services in the DMZ separates them from the internal network, reducing the potential attack surface and minimizing the risk to sensitive resources and data. A DMZ is implemented using firewalls and network segmentation techniques.
Typically, two firewalls are employed: one facing the internet and another separating the DMZ from the internal network. The external-facing firewall allows limited and controlled inbound traffic to reach the DMZ, while the internal-facing firewall enforces strict rules to prevent unauthorized access from the DMZ to the internal network.