A firewall is a program or device that acts as a barrier to keep destructive elements from entering a network or specific computer. A firewall can be a device, or software application that serves to prevent unauthorized access to a network. They work as filters for your network traffic by blocking incoming packets of information that are seen as unsafe. In the context of large corporations, a lack of firewall could put thousands of computers at risk of malicious attack. Any access point can be vulnerable to intrusion, so a sound firewall should account for each one.
You may be asking yourself “How do firewalls work?” Below are a few methods that they use to keep our systems safe.
- Packet filtering: is when small chunks of data (called packets) are run through a filter and analyzed. When analyzed the security rules can then block traffic based on IP protocol, IP address and port numbers.
- Stateful inspection: is where the contents of each packet are not examined, but instead key parts of the packet are compared to a database of trusted information, letting through the packets that pass this test.
- Deep packet inspection firewall: An application firewall actually examines the data in the packet, and can therefore look at application layer attacks. This kind of firewall security is similar to intrusion prevention technology, and, therefore, may be able to provide some of the same functionality.
- Firewalls can be configured to filter by several variables: IP address, domain name, protocol, port or even specific words or phrases. Though some operating systems come with a built-in firewall, internet routers also provide very affordable firewall protection when configured properly.
Contact CATS Technology today to make sure your Firewall Security is up to date. With Managed IT services, CATS can keep your systems safe while your company will be worry-free.
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