In today’s world of computers, we keep hearing the term firewall frequently. Well some of us might guess that the word firewall means some wall of protection. Some might guess it to be prevention against computer viruses. But you never know, some might even assume to be some spark, current or lightning! That’s funny, isn’t it?

What if we don’t have a firewall? Why should we have one? These questions might go around your mind multiple times.

Well if you really want to understand the concept of firewall, you need to read further and you will have the answer.

Introduction to firewall

Whenever your system is connected to the internet whether its private or public places, you are always vulnerable to be the prey of cyberattacks like Trojans, keyloggers, and hackers, etc. They might happen to enter your system through some or other security loopholes. This means whenever you connect to the net, you are prone to any sort of malicious attacks which might harm your system, get your personal information or might be bankrupt you if you love doing shopping online.

Generation of Firewall

Generally Firewall can be categorized on the basis of their generation.

·        First Generation- Packet Filtering Firewall

·        Second Generation- Stateful Inspection Firewall

·        Third Generation- Application Layer Firewall

·        Next Generation Firewalls (NGFW)

Types of Firewall

Firewalls are generally of two types: first one is Host-based firewall and another one is Network-based firewall.

·        Host- based Firewalls

·        Network-based Firewalls

Here comes the concept of FIREWALLS.

A firewall as the name suggests is like a shield or a barrier between the system and the various outside world attacks. Whenever your system gets connected with the internet, the information will go to and fro in the form of small units that are termed as packets. The major role of a firewall is to keep filtering these packets before they move out or in the system. There are a certain set of rules and criteria on the basis of which the packets are allowed to move in or out of the system or else they are blocked by the firewall. In this way, the cyber hackers cannot enter your system and get to know any personal details like bank information and passwords, etc.

There are some basic firewalls that come with Window XP. They have the responsibility of monitoring the traffic that is coming. The role of a good firewall is to monitor the complete traffic that is coming or moving out. Therefore, your incoming data is safeguarded along with the outgoing data thus keeping complete information safe and preventing unauthorized access. Along with data safety, your pc invisibility is also enabled by the best firewalls i.e. whenever you are online you will not be visible to people hence the intrusions can be directly avoided.

The firewalls that are highly sophisticated come with a feature of continuous updates. They keep on updating you regarding the malicious applications and the good applications so that you can take the preventive steps then and there. This way your protection will always remain up-to-date.

But remember one thing, though firewalls help in protection against any sort of unauthorized access but if there is any malware already available, it cannot help removing them. Therefore, you need to use it in a combination of some anti-malware software for strong resistance against any attacks.

5 Reasons Why Should Choose a Firewall?

By now you must have clearly understood what firewall is and how it can significantly protect your system and crucial data. Now let’s take a look at some major reasons for using firewalls in details below:

·        Prevention from any sort of remote unauthorized access

When you are connected over any untrustworthy networks, there is always a risk of someone from remote trying to access your PC. This can let the data breach happen easily and your crucial data including passwords and other information can be leaked to the intruders. Using a well-configured firewall can lead to disabling of the remote system access without your permission. So, no one will be able to check the charge of your system until you want the same.

·        Online gaming becomes safer with firewalls

This is the world of internet and gaming is one of the major developments of the online world. But with games come a lot of viruses, malware and hell lot of cyberattacks. This can be a devastating threat to security. There are malware designed specially to target online gamers who are using the unsecured gaming servers. The firewall has led to the prevention of any sort of attacks that can occur during the time you play games online.

·        The firewall comes with content blocking feature

Firewalls are not just capable of preventing any remote access or hacking attacks but more than that. Yes, you read it right. You can also block the contents that you don’t want to see now or in the future that might appear to be risky or a potential threat to your system.

·        Hardware firewalls can be used in routers

Firewalls are not just limited to be software but also they come in the form of hardware which can be installed in the wireless routers to safeguard from any sort of attacks. You can access these firewalls with the help of admin rights and install them as per your use.

·        Firewall can be used to meter bandwidth

Till now we have understood that firewalls prevent attacks and remote accesses. But above all, it is also used to limit the bandwidth flowing through the network. Yes, you can limit the bandwidth for things that are of less usage including music, videos, and images, etc and reserve that bandwidth for some crucial business works.

When it comes to security, we need to be super active in taking preventive measures to keep our system safe and sound. Attacks and malware can not only hack your data but also decrease the system performance. So it is your first and foremost duty to get the sound and safest watchman.