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Not many of us intentionally leave our cars unlocked or the front of our
homes open to strangers.But we often leave our computers wide open to
anyone and
everyone that may want to snoop.
To get and keep our computers safe from hackers,or anyone wanting to
have a look in our computers,we need the aid and assistance of something
commonly
called Firewalls.
A Firewall can be hardware or software that acts as a gatekeeper to your
computer.It does this by monitoring all internet traffic coming in and
going out of our computers.
They not only allow the passage of this traffic but inspects all,making
sure it is safe and do not contain viruses,any spyware,or other malicious
software.
Firewalls control internet traffic in two methods,Packet filtering and
stateful inspection.A Packet is a chunk of data and it contains the address
of the computer it comes from and a destination address.
Ok,so you're wondering what on earth is an IP Address.Well, it is an
identifier for your computer device.The format of an IP address is a 32-bit
numeric address written as four numbers separated by periods.
If the Firewall recognizes the Packet and its IP Address,or its Internet
Protocol Address,it allows the Packet to pass.The Stateful Inspection
method look at the some data in the Packet and compares key chunks of
data to a large area
that contains known,trusted information.
to see if it is safe or if your computer is expecting the data.It also
allow safe passage of data if all seems well.The Stateful Inspection method
is preferred since it checks the data that have passed through your computer
before.
ALL ABOUT HARDWARE FIREWALLS
Hardware Firewalls are devices that are designed to run software Firewalls.So
why are there hardware firewalls,you ask.One big advantage of having a Hardware
Firewall is that the computer don't have to do any work.
The hardware running the software does all work,thereby leaving the CPU
in the computer free to get on with other tasks.The CPU, or Central Processing
Unit should be free as much as possible to keep the computer running at
peak performance.
WHAT FIREWALL PROTECT YOU FROM
There are many creative ways that people use to access or abuse your computer
when its not protected. Someone is able to connect to your computer and
control it in some form.
This can range from being able to view or access your files to actually
running programs on your computer.Some of the software Firewalls protect
your computer from are the following.
Email Bombs.Someone sends you the same e-mail hundreds or thousands of
times until your e-mail system cannot accept any more messages. If you
spend time on the internet often you will most likely experience this.
Viruses. This is no doubt the most well known threat.A Virus is a small
file which reproduces itself on other computers.Viruses may be harmless
to wiping your hard drive clean.
Firewalls may not protect you from all viruses.It would be worth your
while to invest in good anti virus software as added protection.Once you
invest in a Firewall,study its owner's manual to set it up.
Once the Firewall has been installed and setup complete,take a minute
to be sure its working.Test the Firewall by going online and visiting
a security site.Go to www.grc.com and give their free Shields Up security
test a try.
If the Firewall pass,you will have the comfort of knowing your PC will
have that added protection from someone stealing your credit card information
or any valuable information.
If you have not invested in a Firewall,won't wait to give one a try. Your
critical files and programs will be much safer and you will have the knowledge
of being able to install Firewalls on the PC of your friends,enemies,and
everyone else in between.
Keep your computer safe from hackers and other intruders by fully understanding
how firewalls operate in the background of your computer.
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