Hackers, viruses, spyware and trojans are ganging up on us, threatening the safety of our computers and, heaven forbid, our privacy. Attacks come from people using the internet. They send rogue data to your PC via the phone lines or enable spyware to send private details out. Without a firewall, you leave your computer open to attack but put one in place and your PC becomes much more secure, giving you peace of mind. It is important to fight back and that is where a firewall is essential.
In simple terms, a fi rewall monitors and filters the information that travels through your internet connection into your PC. Think of a fi rewall as a physical brick construction in a building that prevents fi re spreading
from one area to another. Firewalls have filters that allow certain data to pass and others to be halted at the gate. The filters can block certain IP addresses or domain names, control particular protocols, give access to
certain ports and bar others, or discard any information with undesirable words and phrases. Firewalls can be set up in one of two ways – they can allow all traffic to flow until certain criteria is met or they can
prevent all traffic until certain criteria is met. Either way, a good fi rewall analyses and checks both inbound and outbound traffic against the fi lter’s set of rules, discarding any rogue data. This not only prevents
damage to your PC but also helps to stop spyware sending out any data you wish to keep private. It is possible to buy a hardware firewall too. It operates as a standalone device, such as a router, that is configured via a web based interface. Hardware firewalls tend to be used to protect networks of computers
and are not essential for home computing.
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