I'm looking for practical insights on how data diodes really perform in real-world scenarios, not just the theory behind them. I understand they are designed to transmit data in one direction, meaning if a network receives a virus, it should be incapable of sending anything back. Does this hold true based on your experiences?
2 Answers
Absolutely, they function as a one-way street for data, meaning there’s no communication back, even for things like SYN messages. They're generally best for UDP protocols (like syslog), but if you use TCP, you’d have to set up a server to manage the handshaking. Think of it as a very basic version of a network card that's purely electronic, without any firmware.
From what I've used, data diodes work great. They operate over a single fiber, allowing data to only travel one way, so there's absolutely no chance for data to flow back. This setup effectively locks down any return traffic.
So, using TCP seems a bit complicated. Is there a situation where you'd prefer a data diode over a traditional firewall?