What is a Firewall?

A firewall is a filter through which all the network traffic goes through. Traffic gets filtered based on rules to where the traffic is coming from and where its going. A firewall can be configured to be very open, blocking only bad traffic or closed with just the necessary ports open for more security. A poorly configured firewall will prevent legitimate traffic from going through.

Types of Firewalls

• Hardware Firewall - This is a device through which all network traffic is flittered. This is generally used in networks of 10 or more computers in conjunction with a router.
• Software Firewall -All your traffic may be filtered through a linux or windows based router, you can install a firewall software on this to become a firewall as well.
• Personal Firewall - Personal firewalls are firewall software that runs on your personal computer. This can be the Windows built in firewall or a third party firewall solution.

Resources

• Windows Firewall
• Zone Alarm

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