We are in the world of technology and internet that fetches us information in fractions of seconds. The Internet is the global network of computers that are connected together with some protocols. Now when there are many computers connected in the network, it is obvious that we might be exposed to some malicious attacks. Under Module-1 from Comptia Security+ we will read about firewalls, proxies, reverse proxies, Internet Protocols, and other aspects that deal with the network and its securities.
The network threats gain access to a private computing system that too without permission. You should not worry, about the ways to overcome these threats, but should concentrate eventually to know what harm can they pose to the system.
FIREWALL
Let us look at each thing closely to protect our system and files. To start with we will learn what a firewall is?
A Firewall is the hardware or the software that you can get installed on the networks or the host to filter the traffic. It will be helpful as firewall is a tool which allows and controls what kind of traffic will come or leave our network or host. In other words, you can dictate the way, what sort of traffic will lead our network. We find that Firewall is essential for the cyber security.
Why do we need a Firewall? It is the first line of defense for any network that will also scrutinize the inward traffic that comes from the use of the internet.
Installation of firewalls is necessary due to the increase of the cyber crimes nationwide. We need to protect our data,such as situation from hackers, viruses, and worms that try to reach us over the internet.
How does a Firewall work?
Before we know more about firewall, we should know how does it work? The firewall would inspect both the incoming and the outgoing traffic. It intends to defend the network in which we work. Aiming to protect the data, it is crucial to understand that neither the irrelevant information enter the working circuitry nor should any stuff leave the network The firewalls wish to find out the objects that may interfere with the personal information on the network system.
As soon as the defense mechanism senses a trouble, it starts its operation to find out the error and immediately fix it. For those who work regularly on the computer system, it is essential to have a Firewall installed on your system.
If you are using more than one computer, it is important that each device is protected by a hardware firewall (such as a router). For the latest gadgets, it is already inbuilt.
We have different types of firewalls with each having their individual applications. Let us have a look at the types of the Firewalls:
- Packet Inspection Firewall
2. Application Filtering Firewall
3. Stateful Firewalls
1.The Packet Inspection Firewall deals with the data part of the packet as early as it passes the check post where the search for the viruses, spam, and intrusions will take place. After this point, it will be decided whether the packet may pass or routed to a different destination.
What seems important is that we should immediately check the openness of the network. Packet Inspection can also be termed as the advanced network management, user service and security functions. We need Firewall to inspect all the packets, both coming in and leaving the network.
2.Another check we need to put, through Application Filtering Firewall, is on the kinds of applications that visit the network. In case the Firewall detects a suspicious element, they would prevent or filter the elements that would enter the network.
3.Well, if you need a firewall that that maintains a stable state of the outgoing traffic and checks all the inwards traffic, Stateful Firewalls will be the choice for you . The traffic that has an outward lag will only be allowed to enter the network.
Why do we need a Firewall?
Here are a few reasons that will explain you the importance of a Firewall:
Considering the rise of the cyber crimes and the scales of loss they may lead to, the Firewalls are essential to ensure that the security standards for the network are not breached.
The use of Firewalls will help to create a Demilitarize Zone (DMZ).
Netgear FVS318 ProSafe VPN Firewall Router
The Firewalls can prevent the leakage of information from the employees and keep a check on them to send certain types of emails. This is the Outbound programming.
For the inside programming, the Firewalls will put a check on the access to certain websites.
Firewalls can save the inside computers from being accessed by the outside or unauthorized computer systems.
The Firewall checks for the IP Address to allow the inwards traffic, but scrutinizes the Port Address to allow the outward movement of the traffic. For those entries or exit, if there exist no rules, the Firewalls would automatically block the users i.e. by default entry or exit barred.