Monday, May 24, 2010

Firewalls - Hardware Versus Software



The system provides the barrier between the outside world and the computer is the firewall. The firewall examines all traffic sent and the team gets to your computer. Only open the door if the traffic is permitted on a list of traffic sources and destinations. This vital system is almost a necessity for all computer systems in order to protect them from viruses, worms, Trojans and other threats. The question is: if the option to choose a hardware firewall or a software option?

To make better, it helps to talk about what a firewall. A firewall is a computing device whose sole purpose is to monitor and filter traffic. Internet communication is a process, not unlike a major highway system. When you enter an address in your browser, the computer sends a signal along a network path (numbered port number) to another computer (described by an IP address). The port number can be between 1 and 65535, while the IP address is four numbers each between 0 and 255. The firewall can see the IP address and port for each application, and is based on a set of firewall rules to allow or block the application. At least there are a number of traffic in both directions, creating a record traffic for later review.

The difference between a firewall hardware and software, where the firewall and works with the mechanism. A hardware firewall is a separate computing device that sits between your computer and the outside world. When the computer sends a request and the responses to the outside world, the firewall will examine and register the application before going through the firewall. A security software sits on your computer protected examine all applications in the software. They work to protect your computer against threats entering their infection by computer and send data to the outside world.

The hardware firewall has the advantage of separating the process equipment. We will review the traffic before it reaches your computer. This extends the protection software does not have. The hardware firewall also has the advantage of own resources. The firewall can also keep intelligence, packet filtering, not only said it was coming, but where in the next fact, and its contents to some extent. The hardware firewall can protect a number of computers on the network as multiple computers can be on the team.

The defect in the hardware firewall is that it seems so difficult to outbound traffic. This can be a big problem, as some malicious programs can send data or launch attacks from your computer. On the other hand, if the teams are too many network, the firewall in real time bogged down with traffic requirements, the decrease in the whole network down.

Software firewalls on individual computers at work. The user can choose to allow specific programs to send traffic to the outside world, and the protocol for other programs. Can be configured to deny everything, but what appears on a security list, or may have to decide what you want to keep the site safe list. The big problem with filtering software that protects only the computer is on. As a result, if a number of networked computers, each will need the firewall itself, which makes it more complex to configure the network.

The question of the best way is a challenge. Each has its merits. The hardware firewall is good at blocking any malicious code and the incoming direct penetration. The firewall software is better at detecting trojans and viruses via e-mail trying to turn your computer into a zombie terminal (one that launches denial of service attacks or "spam").

The minimum protection you should do is a hardware firewall. Updates and additions to the computer and your network does not affect your network security and firewalls. To increase security, replace the hardware firewall by adding a software firewall will give you a pass near complete protection. No protection is perfect, provided there is an Internet connection, then there is the opportunity for those qualified to enter a computer. Adding a firewall to deter most attackers and automatic blocking, malicious scripts.

Source from Articlesbase

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