High-performance computer security gateway for cloud computing platform

One or more integrated circuits for implementing a network firewall for a cloud computing platform, comprising:

• special-purpose hardware;
• a memory storing instructions which when executed cause the special-purpose hardware configured to perform:
• receiving an item in a transport layer from a second hardware portion through a communication bus,
• wherein the item is derived from original data received by the second hardware portion from a source computer device;
• and
• applying processing in a presentation layer, a session layer, and an application layer to the item to obtain processed data in an application layer, wherein the applying comprises:
• identifying a payload in the item;
• determining whether the item includes a security attack based on the payload, the original data, and additional data received from the source computer device before or after the original data was received;
• and
• transmitting the processed data, including a result of the determining, to the second hardware portion.