What is the term for filtering outbound traffic in cybersecurity?

Egress filtering is the term used to describe the practice of monitoring and controlling the outbound traffic leaving a network. This security measure is crucial for preventing data breaches and ensuring that sensitive information cannot leave the enterprise network without proper authorization. By analyzing the data packets that attempt to exit the network, organizations can identify and block potentially harmful communications, such as those initiated by malware or unauthorized users.

Egress filtering allows organizations to enforce data loss prevention (DLP) policies effectively, ensuring that only approved data and traffic can leave the network. This is especially important in environments where sensitive information is processed, as it helps to mitigate the risks associated with unintentional data leaks or malicious exfiltration of data.

In contrast to egress filtering, ingress filtering would focus on traffic entering the network, and it deals with the security of incoming connections rather than those going out. Proxy filtering refers to the use of proxy servers to filter data based on set policies but does not specifically denote a method for managing outbound traffic. Layered filtering is a broader term that could involve multiple strategies for securing traffic but does not specifically target outbound communications in the same way egress filtering does.