An Introduction To Firewalls

By: Jason Gluckman
Submitted: 2007-01-17 13:43:51
Print this article | Tell a friend | For publisher | Social Bookmarking
Rating:
 

Generally speaking, a firewall is a piece of software or a combination of both software and hardware. The purpose of a firewall is to control all incoming and outgoing traffic that comes in and out of your computer. But this explanation draws a very primitive picture about firewalls.

When we speak about traffic and computers, we refer to the exchange of data packets. Data packets are used in order for computers inside a network to exchange information. This is how we exchange information inside a local network or via the Internet. This is also a way for harmful compute viruses to enter your system. What the firewall will do is check what packets are allowed to come in and what packets are allowed to go out.

Why does the firewall have to do those checks? It all has something to do with security. History has shown us is that there is no such thing as a perfect system. Even the most sophisticated computer designs have flaws. In order to prevent these flaws from entering in your system, you should apply a brute-force approach to data-packet management. Your computer should only talk with the computers that you want it to. A firewall will only allow communication with the computers you choose. It is like a phone that will only allow you to talk with some predefined telephone numbers.

Of course, firewalls are configurable, and you can change the settings if you wish but that’s another story. The ancient Greeks had a saying: “You can’t lock your closet and at the same time throw the key inside it.” Nothing is absolutely secure; whatever you do, security can and will always be broken if you don’t take measures. That’s why firewalls exist. They are like guards that protect your gate, under your special orders.

Firewalls provides detailed information on Firewalls, Free Firewalls, Best Firewalls, Linux Firewalls and more. Firewalls is affiliated with Encryption Software.

Article source: Expert Articles

Most Recent Articles in Security category

  • Discover the joys of anonymous proxy servers. - By: Kulveer Singh
    As Google Adwords and Google Adsense becomes more mainstream, the rate of fraud from self-clicking (commonly called Google-bation), and click-draining (clicking on competitors ads), will increase exponentially. The problem is that the electronic antichrist has an obvious conflict of interest in eliminating fraud. Like most web site owners running Google Adsense, you probably are tempted to just "test" ads to make sure all the html you have embedded on your site is working. In some markets these little "tests" can reward the web site owner over $20 per click. Drugs, bank loans and obesity cures pay pretty well I'm told.
  • Stepping Up Your Security - By: Scott Jarvis
    Many online businesses have been using this method of security for over ten years and still have not upgraded to a better form of online security. Though many smaller businesses have yet to adopt a more advanced technology, several high profile companies have begun using some form of two factor authentication both on their websites and in their offices.
  • You Can't Do Without Search Engine Optimization - By: Naman Jain
    No websites can ignore the importance of search engine optimization to their website. It is the most essential tool, which will helps them grow their Online business.
  • Identity Theft - Don't blame The Internet - By: Kavita B
    Identity theft - also known as ID theft, identity fraud and ID fraud - describes a type of fraud where a criminal adopts someone else's identity in order to profit illegally. It is one of the fastest growing forms of fraud in many developed countries.
  • AllAnonymity - anonymous browsing solutions - By: Ionel Orza
    In our days identity protection has become increasingly important, because any time someone could be watching what you do on your computer through online spying. Someone like your boss, someone trying to hack your system, or even the government may be on your track while you peacefully surf the web.
  • 8 Simple Ways to Defend Against Evil Doers Both Online and Off - By: Dan Preston
    There once was a time when the only option people had when shopping was to either call in or snail mail in a catalog order form or to jump in the family car, fight through traffic, and wait in long checkout lines to complete the purchase.Well, nowadays there’s still a few major mail order catalogs floating around and we all still visit our local retail outlets, but time has also introduced the internet as one of our options to shop from the comforts of home.The internet has made shopping at home a breeze and along with it has unfortunately brought the so called ”Evil Doers” who I believe have such little happiness in their own lives that they must leech pleasure from the hardworking and innocent individuals of our wonderful and surrounding nations.
  • Dirty Little Computer Viruses and How To Protect Yourself - By: Dan Preston
    Whether you have learned your lesson from a past experience with a nasty computer virus or have been pressing your luck by surfing the web and downloading various files or opening those email messages sent to you by people you don’t know without any real understanding of just how vulnerable you really are each time you log onto your computer you now have the opportunity to discover what steps you can take to avoid such an annoying and many times destructive infestation.Listed below are some of the guidelines you can follow in order to keep those nasty viruses from making a mess out of your computer and your life.•Purchase and install a well respected antivirus software program and be sure to set it up so that it automatically runs when the computer starts up each time.
  • Protect Your Little Black Book - By: Rick Cooper
    The movie Little Black Book features a young woman, Stacy, who is frustrated when her boyfriend refuses to share information about his past relationships. When his PDA, a Palm Tungsten C, falls into her hands, she is faced with a conundrum. Does she give it back, or does she explore it?
  • Can I Guess Your Password? - By: David Congreave
    We all know that it’s dangerous to use the same password for more than one program. If you sign up for a program run by someone of low moral fibre, what is to stop them running through various programs with your username and password to see what they can access? But of course remembering all the different passwords can be a headache.
  • Don't Miss Information Because of Misinformation - By: Dylan Campbell
    It has been said that with the wealth of information, freely available, the Internet has the ability to make you smarter, faster, than any other medium on the planet. Of course with an equal amount of mis-information, it also has the ability to make you dumber, faster, than any other medium on the planet. So how do you decide which sources of information to trust and which sources to avoid?