Firewalls and Internet Security: A Short Beginners Guide | Storm Internet

In the future, everything will be connected. It won’t be just our smartphones that access the Internet; everything from the thermostat in your home to your front door and blenders will be connected. But, what impact will this increased connectivity have on your privacy?

There are numerous dangers waiting for you to make a mistake every time you connect to the internet. Securing your computer and mobile devices against these threats is paramount.

This article is intended to provide some basic guidelines regarding internet security and firewalls.

What Is a Firewall?

Every time you send an email, or simply browse the internet, the information you access is broken up into small packets. Fraudsters and cyber-criminals might take advantage of loopholes in the process to steal your financial or personal information. They can install malicious software running in the background and clicking on ads, or they can install bots that steal your bank account number, and credit card, and so on.

So, how can you protect yourself from these situations?

That’s simple. You install a firewall.

Firewalls are systems designed to control the data that is sent and received by your computer and ensure that the process is not hijacked. Simply put, a firewall may either be a software program or a piece of hardware that analyzes the data passing into your network or your computer. If it fails to match certain criteria, it discards it.

Types of Firewalls

According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, there are three types of firewalls:

• Circuit level gateways Circuit level gateways permit data to enter based on certain requests coming from the computers outside the network. It will also keep a record of requests so that only the data that matched a certain request will be allowed to enter. Its major advantage is that the address of the firewall is visible from the outside only.
• Application Level Gateways Similar to circuit level gateways, application level gateways are the entrance to a network that isn’t protected and they prohibit any non-requested data from entering
• Packet Filtering Packet filtering examines the data packets that are trying to go through the firewall, and it simply compares them to some rules in a list, all based on their source, the port from which the data was sent from, its destination, and so on.

Firewalls are a great way to ensure your personal information is safe from malicious attacks. However, the system is not flawless. In today’s connected world, it’s important to pay attention to the websites you are accessing. Even though a firewall is a great way to protect yourself and your business from hackers, spammers, and cyber criminals, you need to be responsible, as well.

The topic of internet security is complex, and it requires a great deal of research to understand it completely. But, you don’t have to be a tech expert to understand that you need to protect your computer. Installing a firewall is the first and most important step.

At Storm Internet, we can help you find all the additional information you need. Storm Internet has been providing web and email hosting services for more than ten years. We can guide you through the process of installing firewalls or give you valuable tips on how to make your connections more secure.