Your computer is a great tool to do your various tasks. You can store a lot of things on it. When your machine and the data become accessible to anyone, then you need to worry. Your computer is more susceptible to attacks. You can restrict these attacks and the external access to your PC and the data stored on it using a firewall.
But what are firewalls exactly, and how do they work?
Firewalls are applications that restrict any unauthorized access to the system it is installed on, which is done using the internet. The firewalls can be set-up in such a way that they can block the unwanted data from certain mal-functioning websites.
But this does not block the data from the trusted sites.
What are the types of firewalls and what are their benefits?
Firewalls are of two types: external and internal. The external firewalls: these are actually hardware. These are external devices that are between your machine and the network. Or even between the computer and the modem. These are called as routers that include the firewall protective functions. These are extremely useful when protecting multiple computers connected in a network. These provide a high level of protection, also advised for even standalone machines. The external firewalls have an operating system of their own so they provide a better protection against the attacks.
Internal firewall: These are a part of the operating systems as well as the Antivirus software. If the operating system includes a built-in firewall; then it is favorable if you enable it. It adds an extra layer of defense; even if you have an external firewall. If the operating system does not provide a firewall, then you can get a software firewall for a relatively low cost from any of the computer vendors. The firewall application is available on CDs. This easy to install and configure. The firewalls are available even on internet. But if you are going to download that software from the net then do it from safe and reputed websites only.
The firewall has to be configured to make it function properly. Most of the firewalls' default configurations are such that the user need not change it. It is advised that the user should go once through all of them and determine whether the settings are suitable for you. Your vendor or the website from where you downloaded the firewall may offer you some additional assistance. Get to know about the various viruses that could affect the system and how to block those using firewalls. Along with firewalls, it is advisable that you install an anti-virus on you system.
