A Firewall is a system or group of systems that enforces an access control policy between two networks. There are two different types of firewall available for you to us. They are hardware firewalls and software firewalls.
Hardware Firewall:
A Hardware Firewall is a physical piece of equipment that sits between the internet and your computer. A router used for internet connection is a hardware firewall, the benefit of using which, is that it has the ability to protect multiple computer systems, at home or business, that are connected to it at the same time.
Software Firewall:
Software Firewalls work in the same way as a hardware firewall. It monitors and blocks information that comes to your computer via the Internet. Software firewalls are the most common type of firewall. Nowadays the program like Norton has a firewall bundled within it.
What a Firewall does:
Regardless of what type of firewall you choose to use, having one installed on your computer is a really important. A firewall helps prevent computer hackers from accessing your computer through the Internet stealing sensitive information or infecting your computer system with some form of computer virus. A hacker can usually get into your system through back doors or open ports that connect your computer to the Internet. With a firewall installed, these ports or back doors can be blocked from inbound traffic.
You should also remember that the damage can also be done to your computer from outbound traffic as well, that is, your sensitive data will be sent out to hackers when your system is connected to the internet. So it is important to use firewalls to block outbound traffic.
There are basically two ways that firewalls work. Generally, data that comes in is analyzed by the firewall to determine the IP address it is coming from and the content that it contains. The firewall system then checks to see if this information is compliant with rules you configured. It can also analyze information at the application level. The firewall program will determine whether or not the application should be able to send or receive data through the port you are connected by.
Firewall programs are vital important to the protection of not only your computer system, but you personal information as well. Many anti-virus programs come with firewall protection. Firewall protection should be considered an essential part of any computer's security strategy.
