So where are your firewalls? A firewall is a software program that can be found in one of three standard places. The first place you will find a firewall is in your Windows software. If you check out your control panel you will see a firewall icon. It is always a good idea to have your Windows firewall on and functioning. The second place you will find a firewall is in a firewall router which is also commonly referred to as just a router. A router is a device you use to connect several computers in your home, or office, to a single internet connection. The firewall on a router is very powerful and includes many security features. If you are using a router, especially a wireless router, it is highly recommended that you have your firewall on and functioning. The third most common place to find a firewall is in your anti-virus software. If you have your Windows firewall on, and your router firewall on, it is not always necessary to have your anti-virus firewall on. It isn’t a bad idea to have your anti-virus firewall on, but my experience tells me that anti-virus firewalls sometimes cause problems when the other two firewalls are on. Sometimes you can get conflicts and downloading errors when you use your anti-virus firewall in conjunction with your Windows firewall. Consult the user’s manual for your anti-virus software for more information on how to properly install and use your anti-virus software.
Ok, so now we know what a firewall is and where to find them, now we probably need to know how they work. A firewall monitors the ports on your internet connection and makes sure that no one trying to “break in” can get into your network or your computer. Essentially it puts a wall up at your ports and sets up a check point at these walls to make sure only desirable data gets through. Hence the name firewall. How does the firewall know what is good and what is bad info? Most viruses carry a type of code that can be deciphered by the firewall as malicious. Without getting too technical let’s just say that most viruses have a common stamp, or contain one of a set of common stamps, that the firewall recognizes and keeps out. When it comes to viruses your firewall can be helped a lot by a good anti-virus program to back it up. The most common kind of intruder to your computer is called a “Trojan” virus. There is also a “worm” virus that also tries to get in to your computer. The firewall recognizes these malicious codes and blocks them from entering your computer.
A firewall can also be customized by the user to allow certain ports to be opened and certain types of data to be allowed through that would not normally be allowed. To learn how to customize your firewall please consult your software, or your router, user’s guide. There you will find plenty of easy to read information on how to customize your firewall.
A firewall is an essential thing when you are surfing the internet. There are a lot of bad people out there releasing a lot of bad software and all they want to do is either crash your computer or steal your personal information. A properly configured firewall is sometimes the only thing that stands between your computer and a whole world of pretty nasty folks.