What do packet filter firewalls examine?

Packet filter firewalls, as defined by ISA/IEC 62443 standards on cybersecurity, primarily examine the source, destination, and ports in the header of each packet. This type of firewall does not inspect the packet content deeply (such as its structure or sequence) or maintain awareness of the relationships between packets in a session. Instead, it operates at a more superficial level, filtering packets based solely on IP addresses and TCP/UDP ports. This approach allows packet filter firewalls to quickly process and either accept or block packets based on these predefined criteria without delving into the complexities of session management or the content of the packets up to the application layer.