January 30, 2014

Put simply, a firewall is a wall that surrounds your computer, protecting it from online threats like hacking attempts. This robust protection is essential, when you consider the high security risk that the present-day internet poses. Firewalls can be used to protect computers in an office network, as well as to protect one’s home network and family from malicious websites. The mechanism of how a firewall works is relatively simple, with a firewall basically being a hardware device or program which works as a filter, barring suspicious packets of information from entering into a network.

Companies typically place firewalls at every internet connection in their network, making it impossible for any unauthorized user to gain access to the network. In addition to this, firewalls also make it possible for companies to control the websites that their employees can visit, and which files can leave the network. The three methods used by firewalls to control inbound and outbound data to the network are packet filtering, proxy service, and stateful inspection.

In packet filters, packets of data are subjected to a set of filters, through which they are either accepted or rejected. Proxy service makes use of a requesting system for data traveling in either direction. Stateful inspection is the latest firewall technology, in which packets of data are compared to a database of trusted information on the basis of certain attributes, based on which it is either rejected or accepted.
Users can customize firewalls on the basis of various conditions such as IP addresses, domain names, ports, and specific words/ phrases.

Here is a look at some of the key benefits offered by a computer firewall:

  • A major benefit of firewalls is that their protection is not limited to a single computer, but can be used to protect multiple systems in a single network as well.
  • A firewall can be configured to provide a high amount of security from a wide range of internet bots, hence protecting the data on a local PC or network. These include remote login, backdoors, OS bugs, service denial, email bombs, macros, viruses, spam, source routing, and redirect bombs.
  • A firewall can keep a log of multiple attempts of invasion from a single source, establishing alarms to alert you when such attempts are made in the future.
  • Certain firewalls are also capable of maintaining a log of all outbound data traffic from your computer, and restricting access to suspicious networks.

Centex Technologies provide IT support and office computer networking solutions to corporates. For more information, call us at – (855) 375-9654