can anyone explain to me what exactly firewall is?

Question

is it like antivirus?

Answer 1

Firewalls and antivirus software are two different things, and you should have both on your computer.

Antivirus software does exactly what you'd expect - it protects you from viruses.

A firewall protects your computer from a number of things by regulating the flow of information between your computer and the network (generally the internet) For example, if I want to hack your computer, a good firewall will block me from breaking in. If you have a malicious program on your computer that your antivirus software didn't catch, the firewall can keep it from communication with its owner.

In sources, I've listed some good free firewall and antivirus software.

Answer 2

A firewall is a security measure taken to eliminate or limit risk of a compromise to a computer that is networked. Firewalls can be software or hardware based, with each having it's own strength's and weaknesses. A good firewall will hav a feature for SPI (Stateful Packet Inspection) that monitors packets.

Do your research and remember if something is free it's for a reason. It does not have all the functionality adequately needed to protect a network.

In all honesty a basic firewall for the average user is somewhat like a car alarm would be to a thief. It is there as a deterrent, it does not eliminate or mitigate all risk, but rather limit it to a degree. However a professional thief will be able to bypass a car alarm with relative ease without other countermeasures in place.

Update: Unlike PC, I am not going to goto Wikipedia and copy and paste the overall spectrum of the term "firewall" verbatim. I actually know how to break things down in my own terms.

Network Security Engineer,
Skull

Answer 3

A firewall is either a dedicated device (computer, router) or a software program that protects your computer from being contacted by malicious users or computers on the outside (via your connection to the internet). Firewalls usually allow outgoing connections (such as when your computer connects to a website) but block inbound connections (someone else trying to initiate connection to your computer).

Answer 4

Not like anti virus:::::::::: but in bigger view.
Anti virus protects your local machine
Fire wall protects your private network
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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.

There are several types of firewall techniques:

Packet filter: Looks at each packet entering or leaving the network and accepts or rejects it based on user-defined rules. Packet filtering is fairly effective and transparent to users, but it is difficult to configure. In addition, it is susceptible to IP spoofing.
Application gateway: Applies security mechanisms to specific applications, such as FTP and Telnet servers. This is very effective, but can impose a performance degradation.
Circuit-level gateway: Applies security mechanisms when a TCP or UDP connection is established. Once the connection has been made, packets can flow between the hosts without further checking.
Proxy server: Intercepts all messages entering and leaving the network. The proxy server effectively hides the true network addresses.
In practice, many firewalls use two or more of these techniques in concert.

A firewall is considered a first line of defense in protecting private information. For greater security, data can be encrypted.


and from searchsecurity.com

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firewall




- A firewall is a set of related programs, located at a network gateway server, that protects the resources of a private network from users from other networks. (The term also implies the security policy that is used with the programs.) An enterprise with an intranet that allows its workers access to the wider Internet installs a firewall to prevent outsiders from accessing its own private data resources and for controlling what outside resources its own users have access to.
Basically, a firewall, working closely with a router program, examines each network packet to determine whether to forward it toward its destination. A firewall also includes or works with a proxy server that makes network requests on behalf of workstation users. A firewall is often installed in a specially designated computer separate from the rest of the network so that no incoming request can get directly at private network resources.

There are a number of firewall screening methods. A simple one is to screen requests to make sure they come from acceptable (previously identified) domain name and Internet Protocol addresses. For mobile users, firewalls allow remote access in to the private network by the use of secure logon procedures and authentication certificates.

A number of companies make firewall products. Features include logging and reporting, automatic alarms at given thresholds of attack, and a graphical user interface for controlling the firewall.

Computer security borrows this term from firefighting, where it originated. In firefighting, a firewall is a barrier established to prevent the spread of fire.

Answer 5

You ask those pointless questions of atheists that finally advise no longer something. Predicting that a collection of human beings gained't shop on alongside alongside with your faith at some unspecified element interior the destiny isn't precisely a stretch. that's like predicting that a temple may well be destroyed on a similar time because it has already been destroyed 2 cases. It would not require an amazing form of concepts's eye. and likewise you bought the quote from Paul incorrect. The quote is that prophesy is for believers.

Answer 6

A firewall helps monitor your computer, keeps your computer from being hacked. You setup a firewall to allow what connects to your computer. Just like Anti-Virus & Spyware Removers, helps to protect your computer.

Answer 7

A firewall is a software that monitors and helps you to enable/disable any incoming or outgoing request to and fro your computer and the other computers on the internet.

Answer 8

it's just a filter that filters out all the stuff connections to your computer that weren't really supposed to be connecting to it. and it also stops programs on your computer from giving/communicating information when there not supposed to. (not really sure if it's worth having one because they slow your computer down a lot! so do antivirus programs!)

Answer 9

a program that prevents other people accessing your pc.

it works alongside antivirus and spyware removal tools.