Inline vs. Inline Tap on Cisco Firepower

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Cisco Firepower is a network security platform that provides threat detection, visibility, and control across an organization's entire infrastructure. Inline and inline tap are two different modes of operation available on Cisco Firepower that serve distinct purposes.

Inline mode: In this mode, Cisco Firepower sits in-line between the client and the server and actively inspects and filters network traffic. This means that all traffic passing through the device is inspected and either allowed or blocked based on predefined policies. The device is said to be 'inline' because it is actively participating in the network traffic flow.

In inline mode, the device can detect and prevent network-based attacks such as viruses, worms, and denial-of-service (DoS) attacks. It can also do SSL decryption, which means it can inspect and filter traffic that is encrypted using SSL/TLS protocols.

Inline tap mode: In this mode, the device is inserted into the network as a passive monitoring device. It does not actively participate in the traffic flow but instead 'taps' into the traffic and sends a copy of the traffic to another device for analysis.

In inline tap mode, the device can capture and forward traffic to another device or system, such as an intrusion detection system (IDS) or a security information and event management (SIEM) system, for further analysis. This mode is useful when organizations need to monitor traffic without disrupting the network.

Therefore, the main difference between inline and inline tap mode is that the former actively filters traffic while the latter passively copies traffic to another device for analysis. While inline mode can do SSL decryption, drop malicious traffic, and do full packet capture, inline tap mode can only copy traffic to another device for analysis.

In summary, both inline and inline tap modes are important features of Cisco Firepower that provide network security and monitoring capabilities to organizations. The choice between the two modes depends on the organization's specific needs and objectives.