What is difference between Firewall & Antivirus

 

What is difference between

Firewall & Antivirus

 

What are the differences between a firewall and an antivirus? We have been talking about web security for a while in different posts and scenarios. And there is no shortage of people who still have a hard time distinguishing a tool like firewall from anti malware. Let's try to help with a couple of useful guidelines.

Before going into the different characteristics between the two, let's say that both are used within the security strategy of a web server, both provide a level of security to the systems. The firewall prevents unauthorized access from external networks to your system, while the antivirus takes what is installed on our computer equipment or our server, analyzes it and proceeds to eliminate the threat it has found. 

To put it simply, the first is a protective shield for the external perimeter while the second is the internal guard, the second security barrier for our information. To extend the analogy we could say that: A firewall can be considered as the army, while the antivirus can be considered as the police. An antivirus like the police fight threats that have already entered your computer system or that will be installed and that can cause the system to slow down or fail. In contrast, the firewall is like the army on the border that blocks the attack from any external network in the first place.

Firewall

·         Incoming web barrier

·         Inspection of data from the internet to the server

·         It can protect not only the hardware but also the Software

·  Responsibility: Authorize or deny the data that pass to the system from a foreign source; monitors and filters, according to the security rules deployed.

·         Security type: network level.

·    Possible counterattacks? Forever; If an attacker does not find a fissure on one flank, he will surely try on another.

·         The security guidelines come from the factory but can be customized according to the needs of the specific server or website in question.

Antivirus

·         Inspect, detect and remove a malicious program.

·         It only protects the software

·         Manage internal and external threats depending on their power and configuration

·      Responsibility: it scans corrupt files that could slow down or damage the server's operation and disposes of them

·         Security type: application level.

·     Possible retaliation? Complicated, after the threat is completely removed, there is no second part.

·       Generally, their operating conditions come from the factory.

As you can see the work of one complements the actions of the other, then the most sensible thing would be to have both options active on our web server and thus avoid preventable headaches and obfuscations.

Firewall virus protection monitors network traffic, inhibiting malicious data from entering your network and thereby thwarting viruses. However, the virus can enter your computer through a spam link, downloads, or from a flash drive. Also, once you bypass the firewall protection, which bypasses it, the antivirus function becomes useful and convenient.

The antivirus scans and detects the malware to prevent it from spreading further, either by deleting or segregating the corrupted file. Also, even though the firewall stops malware and viruses from entering the system, it cannot eliminate the cyber threat that is infecting the system.

How to choose the best server Antivirus Software?

If your data is stored on a physical server, it must be protected with a suitable server antivirus. You can install the free trial version of the antivirus software and see how it works, or you can buy it right away; however, you should find one with some of the 5 features listed below:

·       Direct Malware Detection - Antivirus sever should provide you with rapid detection of malware and prevention of threats, including Trojans, worms, and other viruses.

·  Sandboxing: this feature authenticates all processes running on the server and prevents malicious entities from penetrating the system and damaging your server. Unrecognized applications or procedures will be automatically saved and run under special restrictions.

·      HIPS (Host Intrusion Protection) - This option monitors all application and process activities on the server and stops any malicious activity that could damage data, operating system, system memory, or registry keys.

·       Virtual Desktop - This is a sandbox environment that allows Internet access and beta software testing without altering the file structure.

·      Rescue Disk - Rescue Disk performs pre-boot virus scan, and can recover passwords, detect and remove the root kit, or allow you to transform data from the damaged disk to another drive.