whats firewall?

Question

what is it, and how do I know if I have it or not?

Answer 1

A firewall is a virtual watchdog, in a way. It lets you set what programs are able to access the internet and which ones aren't. It also attempts to stop uninvited things like spyware from entering your computer. If you have Windows XP System Pack 2 then you already have a firewall. If you have a Macintosh OS X then you have a firewall. I am not sure about Linux or other operating systems such as MorphOS or Solaris. You can always download third party software from download.com: Here is a nice list of firewalls http://www.download.com/Firewalls/3150-10435_4-0.html?tag=nav_dir

Also, if you are connected to a router, that acts as a firewall.

Answer 2

In computing, a firewall is a piece of hardware and/or software which functions in a networked environment to prevent some communications forbidden by the security policy, analogous to the function of firewalls in building construction. A firewall is also called a Border Protection Device (BPD), especially in NATO contexts, or packet filter in BSD contexts. A firewall has the basic task of controlling traffic between different zones of trust. Typical zones of trust include the Internet (a zone with no trust) and an internal network (a zone with high trust). The ultimate goal is to provide controlled connectivity between zones of differing trust levels through the enforcement of a security policy and connectivity model based on the least privilege principle.

Proper configuration of firewalls demands skill from the administrator. It requires considerable understanding of network protocols and of computer security. Small mistakes can render a firewall worthless as a security tool.
if you have an orginal Windows you should have firewall.like Windows Firewall.check it at Control Panel

Answer 3

A firewall is either software or hardware that keeps other computers from accessing your files on your computer through the Internet. What happens is the other computers see the firewall and not your computer. If you have a Linksys router or similar device, you have a firewall. XP now comes with firewall software but you may not be running it. There are other third party firewall programs also.

Answer 4

A firewall is more of a concept than an actual thing. It is a set of rules that decides what kind of traffic is allowed into and out of your computer, through the network card. A firewall can greatly increase your computer's internet security, as it makes breaking into your computer over a network much harder.

Windows XP comes with a built-in firewall, though unfortunately it is only for incoming traffic. I would highly recommend ZoneAlarm. It's a bit on the simple side [for my tastes] but it gets the job done and is much better than Windows' default.

The firewall in Windows is turned on by default. If it's turned off, Windows tends to bug you incessantly about it. So if you haven't had this happen, you probably have a firewall.

http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/catalog/products/sku_list_za.jsp?dc=12bms&ctry=US〈=en&lid=nav_za

Answer 5

A system designed to prevent unauthorized access to or from a private network. Firewalls can be implemented in both hardware and software, or a combination of both. Firewalls are frequently used to prevent unauthorized Internet users from accessing private networks connected to the Internet, especially intranets. All messages entering or leaving the intranet pass through the firewall, which examines each message and blocks those that do not meet the specified security criteria

you do have a basic windows firewall that come with your windows xp. click the control and select Windows Firewall and thats it

Answer 6

There are 32,256 open ports on the computer, open to the internet.

A firewall is a software that runs on a device, and blocks those ports, except for port 80 (the internet), and SMTP, POP server ports for your ISP.

In other words, out of 32,256 Open doors and windows, a firewall closes ALL except the three or four you choose to send/receive through!

I highly recommend that everyone who has DSL or CABLE broadband access to the Internet, run a hardware firewall, which is a hardware machine, that runs the firewall seperate from the computer!!! Computer Firewalls suffer the same vulnerability as the OS they are on!

A FREE one in IPCOP, or pay $30 to $90 for the Linksys, Siemen, Netgear, and etc., routers!

IPCOP is GNU/Linux!

MAC OS X is DarwinBSD, a fork of BSD, which is a clone of Unix, as is Linux!!

All Unix clones have great security, no virus, and, ARE firewalls!

ZoneAlarm is a Linux sourced firewall that protects systems running Microsoft products.

Answer 7

well most WindowsXM SP2 have a firewall but if you dont you need to get one right away! to protect you're self in the mean time download the taa tool bar http://www.taatoolbar.co.nr it will help stop things from hitting your files kinda what a fire wall would do

Trust me that is the best tool bar i have a business with over 150 computers and they all have that tool bar

Answer 8

it is a programme that stops other computer users from getting access to the information on your computer and leaving viruses behind that ruing your hard drive such as Trojan horses dialer's etc.if you have windows xp you will at least have windows firewall that you will find in control panel on computer .also you can down load lots of free programmes as well

Answer 9

Gateway that limits access between networks in accordance with local security policy.