firewall Internet security software
What is a Firewall?
To understand what a firewall is, one must first go back to the early days of ARPANET. ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network) was essentially an online virtual village made up of co-operating scientists and intellectuals. Everyone knew everyone else, and collaborated on projects without ever worrying about security issues. This was a CLOSED community for all intents and purposes. Malicious attacks via the Internet were totally unheard of. This utopia-like environment lasted until November 2, 1988. A virus that became known as the Morris Worm attacked the NASA Ames Research Center, as well as several other centers. Other highly publicized and malicious attacks followed, with the result that the Internet changed forever.
The people and organizations that populated the Internet had to become security conscious and so, started to develop and share their own security measures through newsgroups and Internet mailing lists.
Firewalls are a product and development of this new security consciousness that realized the need to keep private LANs (Local Area Networks) and personal computers protected.
Essentially a firewall is the single entry point into a private LAN (Local Area Network) or computer with an access control policy that determines what traffic is allowed to go to and from the LAN or personal computer and a method of logging all such attempts. Simply stated, a firewall is the guard at the gate or perimeter protection, deciding what traffic is authorized to enter and exit your home computer or LAN. We have several articles on this site that we hope will help you in your quest in choosing a firewall that is right for you. Knowledge is power.
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