What is a Firewall and How Does It Work?

It's important for both businesses and individuals to remain proactive when it comes to protecting themselves, their computers and their networks from harm. As we become increasingly dependent on technology, more criminals than ever are looking for ways to exploit this trend. If your No. 1 goal is to reduce the odds of someone gaining unauthorized access to your network, using a firewall will help you relax and to put your worries to rest. When you follow the right steps, it will prevent attacks from occurring, but you will need to know how to operate your firewalls properly if you want to enjoy the best results.

Operation

The programs that are on your computer communicate with each other and the world by sending packets of information across your network and the internet. To ensure that each piece of data gets to its intended destination, routing information is stored in the header and footer of each packet. When packets try to enter your network, firewalls will scan each one to determine whether it's a threat. If it's not meant to access the network, it will be dropped so that it can't cause damage. Blocking harmful packets will go a long way when it comes to safeguarding your resources.

Software Level

Some firewalls work on a software level, and you will install them on your computer to take advantage of the features. With the software application, you can choose to block certain programs from communicating over the internet. Some users, though, have made the mistake of blocking software that they use, such as video and messaging tools. If you make the same error, many of your favorite programs will stop functioning properly. For most people, using the default settings is the best course of action. But if you can find the IP addresses of common ad networks, you can use your software application to disable banner ads.

Hardware Level

Although software firewalls will protect your computer, a hardware firewall will safeguard your entire network. Rather than installing them as an application, you can place hardware firewalls between your default gateway and your network, and they have many more features than you would expect to find on software applications. Without much effort, you can block your network from accessing certain websites, but you can also opt to allow computers to access the internet only at certain times. In addition to helping prevent hackers from accessing your network, hardware firewalls can help filter and reduce the impact of a denial of service attack.

Final Thoughts

As far as safety is concerned, your firewall could be the only thing that stands between you and a devastating attack. Depending on the nature of the threat, you could lose your files, have your identity compromised or witness your network get crippled. The type of firewalls that you will need will depend on the size of your network and the type of data that it contains. With most home networks, using software firewalls will be enough to provide a sufficient level of protection. If you own or run a business, having hardware firewalls installed is probably the smart choice.