| By :
Mark Etinger
"Firewall" isn't just a name of a film starring Harrison Ford, it is an important line of defense from anyone trying to steal personal or important files found in your computer. In a nutshell, firewalls are designed to protect networks from unauthorized use while allowing access to authorized users. This works by filtering information that comes in and out of the firewall. If the firewall flags a packet of information because it has not followed a set series of rules, it will not be allowed through. These rules are set by those installing firewall security. Here is an example of a rule that can be set: out of five computers on this network only one of them is permitted to view social media sites. Permit access to social media sites for this one computer. That one person can access social media sites without any problems while the others cannot. It can be as simple as this for a single household but can be exponentially more complex for a big business with dozens or even hundreds of computers. And much like houses who have an outside door and inner door leading into the house itself, you can set up a series of firewalls to further strengthen your network's security. For homes, generally one is enough. Odds are the typical household will not have kids with government or corporate secrets on their laptops. But for places like the FBI, CIA, or high-profile businesses with a lot to lose should their security be compromised, one is never enough. Places like these will undoubtedly have more than one and will most likely have other types of security features. Firewall security need not be relegated to just software firewalls. People use hardware firewalls as well. Wired and wireless routers are themselves physical firewalls that can be supplemented by software firewalls. Physical firewalls work by creating a separate set of IPs for the router/firewall itself and the PC or PCs connected to it. Contained within the router is something called "Network Address Translation" (NAT) that creates a public IP for the router and a private IP for the PC or PCs connected to it. If a hacker tries to access a PC hidden behind a firewall they will run right into the public IP which is a dead end for them. The private IP allows a person past the router/firewall and access to the internet as a whole. Computer support services always stress the importance of installing firewall security. This can mean the difference between a successful business or one in ruins. Corporate secrets are called that for a reason and with most businesses using computers nowadays, it is in their best interest to ensure the security of their networks. Much can be said about PCs used by families. They may have a lot of important documents or priceless pictures stored in their hard drive. It would be terrible if some hacker comes in and steals or erases them all just because they think it is fun.
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