Systems, methods, and other embodiments are disclosed that are configured to generate a hierarchy of access rules in a protocol stack. Access rules corresponding to a first layer in a protocol stack are analyzed. The access rules determine, at the first layer, whether network sources are permitted access to a computing device. Dependent access rules are generated based at least in part on a combination of the access rules from the first layer. The dependent access rules are pushed down to a second layer in the protocol stack by implementing the dependent access rules at the second layer to determine, at the second layer, whether the network sources are permitted access to the computing device.