Firewall Protection
Do I need firewall protection? Absolutely. In today's electronic age, everyone from the big corporate to the small home user needs firewall protection. Using a computer without firewall protection is like putting your filing cabinet with your personal papers in the middle of the street with the keys in it. It is like an open invitation. So just like you lock the doors of your house when you go on vacation, you must also get firewall protection when you go online.
Without adequate prevention you run the risk of being hacked. And if you become the unlikely target, you could lose:
- Your identity
- Login IDs and passwords
- Credit Card Information
- Bank and financial information
- Any file on your system
- Space on your hard drive
Who needs a Firewall?
- Anyone with always-on Internet connection such as ADSL or Cable is particularly vulnerable.
- Home users who want to protect the data in their private computers.
- Companies who need to protect sensitive and confidential information.
- Companies who need to allow remote work force connection to the corporate
- network while protecting the rest of the network from outside intruders.
Firewalls are the first line of defense
The main function of a firewall is to act as the first line of defense into your network, protecting it from external attacks. You can also use a firewall for other uses such as Internet sharing, opening up specific ports for incoming and/or outgoing traffic. Firewalls also have logging facilities that will inform you about any failed attacks on your network.
A firewall is the most important line of defense between you and the outside world. It serves as a buffer between the two networks. Just as Internet use by businesses and individuals have escalated sharply in recent years, so too has the occurrence of network security breaches. Firewalls can provide protection for classified information by using different types of application proxies, which are designed to check every connection that crosses the firewall. Many firewall appliances also offer email filtering, web site filtering, security scanning services and real-time alerting when a breach is attempted.
