A personal firewall will have a variety of levels of protection that depends on whether your computer is connected to the Internet or to a network. A computer on a home network will often have shared files with other computers on the network and will also access the same resources, such as printers. If this is the case there will be more access than if the computers are connecting to the Internet.
Connecting to the Internet is risky and needs to be controlled. Firewalls should be set to restrict certain data that is outgoing and incoming as well as close any ports that aren’t being used. A port is a standardized number that routes Internet traffic with the use of network software.
You don’t need to be a computer expert. Most firewall settings are configured according to default. If you need to modify these settings you’ll usually get an alert when you’re making the change.
There are two basic components to a personal firewall. The first component will look at the data when it comes into your computer to decide whether or not the data should be allowed to pass through. The second component will set up certain policies for some applications. These policies can be relaxed since they simply let certain programs have access to the Internet.
The first component is known as the “packet filter”. This filter will take a look at each packet of data and will let it pass through or let it drop. These packets are composed of data that is routed on the network. There are rules for these packets, which are called polices, that let data pass or decide which data fails to meet the policy standards. Failure to meet these policies will give an alert or else just drop the packet depending on how the firewall has been configured.
The second component is known as the “application filter”. This filter will decide whether certain programs are allowed to receive and send data through one port or another. A browser will need to have access to the Internet so a policy is put into place that allows the receiving and sending of data using Port 80, which is a standard number.
Just because the web browser is using Port 80, and other ports are blocked by the personal firewall, your computer still won’t be secure.
An application filter is set up for certain programs and not the particular components of these programs. Every program will have more than one module, each of which can be infected. In a Windows environment these are known as DDLs (dynamic link libraries).
In most cases your antivirus software will be able to determine if a module is infected but any new viruses, that are not yet part of the antivirus database, may slip by undetected. Your computer system will be vulnerable if your personal firewall allows this to happen.
A firewall won’t give you complete protection against viruses and hackers. A firewall is only effective for keeping some hackers out of your system and you should supplement your system with antivirus software. You should also practice safe file sharing procedures.
There is one main rule to follow with firewalls: If you don’t know what is trying to accessing your computer consider it a risk.
By: Paul Wilcox
Posts Tagged ‘Network Software’
Using Firewalls to Protect Your Computer From Attack
March 22nd, 2010What Are the Main Computer Network Security Threats?
March 2nd, 2010
Whether you are looking to protect a small network in your home or one that is the foundation of your business, you will find that it is first important to understand what kind of threats you might be facing. As soon as you have a computer hooked up in order to connect to the network, you will find that there is a chance that it can be exposed to a number of different risks. When you are thinking about what you can do to make a system a great deal more secure, you will find that an understanding of the risks that you are vulnerable to is something that can help a great deal.
First and perhaps most obviously, is the threat of a virus. While the majority of viruses are simply annoying, there are definitely viruses that can damage your network’s hardware, software, or both. For the most part, a virus is an executable file that will be spread by human means and will require someone to open it before it can do its work on the network. When looking at virus threats, it is worth understanding worms as well, which are considered a subset of viruses. Worms do not need human help to propagate themselves, and in fact one example of the way that they work is to turn your computer into an email server that will distribute copies of themselves.
When looking into network security threats, though, it is very important to consider what risks may be present from inside the system. First and foremost, the idea of bad architecture must be considered. If a network is mis-configured in the first place, it can be a very tempting target for people who are looking to get on it. One obvious example of this would be leaving a wireless network unsecured so that anyone with a network card could get onto it. This can certainly happen in a broader and more disastrous scope.
Interestingly enough, one of the most common measures taken to save time is also one that leaves network systems shockingly vulnerable. Consolidating a lot of services to one machine is a common measure for saving time and resources. It is easy to manage and simple to maintain, but if this single machine is compromised, there is a great deal of harm that can happen. While accidental failure is one thing, there is also the concern regarding the ease with which a single machine could be manipulated. In this case, the answer is frequently redundancy.
Computer network security is something that is very important, and if the information that you are safeguarding has anything to do with money or with personal information, it will achieve even a higher priority. Take some time and think about your system and think about whether it is vulnerable to any of the threats above. The more security that you can provide, the better off you will be. The protection of both your company and your customer depend on this aspect of your company’s working, so always consider what network security means to you.
By: Derek Rogers
Why Use Monitoring Network Software?
January 3rd, 2010
Monitoring a network is an important part of keeping one of your most valuable business resources happy and healthy. But did you realize that a good bit of the monitoring process can be an ongoing phenomenon with the aid of monitoring software? The fact is that there are a couple of excellent reasons to invest in monitoring network software to help you maintain your valuable network components.
Monitoring network software acts as a constant watchdog for your network equipment. Once installed, the software will be constantly monitoring the functionality of each of your programs, as well as the efficiency of your servers, the connected work stations, and other components that make up your entire network. The advantage is that you get real time information about some emerging problem, such as a new and as yet unidentified virus that has infected the network due to an attachment being opened. With the ability to see something odd is happening when it happens, it is possible to take steps to minimize the damage and contain the problem.
There is more to the monitoring process than simply making sure the network is working at optimum levels of efficiency. Network software also makes it possible to determine when work stations are being used to purposes other than work. Depending on the standards set in place by the company, this could be a serious breach of both work ethics and company guidelines. Knowing that something is going on that is not work related can provide the chance for employees to be discreetly counseled, or possibly terminated if the circumstances merit that course of action. The network monitoring software will provide all the documentation necessary to warrant the action.
Relatively inexpensive and easy to install, monitoring network software can aid network administrators in making sure operations remain at optimum levels and that the resources of the company are being utilized in a professional manner. The software will often pay for itself in a very short time, based on increases in productivity, and less down time due to network issues.
By: Terry Edwards
