Both
firewall and antivirus are
security mechanisms designed to protect your system. A firewall is a low-level
network security system designed to protect your system and network from
malicious damage. Antivirus, on the other hand, is a software utility program
designed to protect your computer from insider threats like viruses, malware,
spyware, etc.
The
purpose of a firewall is to restrict any unauthorized access to the system by
monitoring network traffic inside and outside the system. It inspects the flow
of data from the Internet to the system to decide which should be allowed and
which should be restricted. The purpose of an antivirus program is to detect,
scan, prevent, and remove harmful programs that can compromise your computer.
Typically,
a firewall works at the network protocol level to protect public and private
networks from unwanted intrusions. Setting up a firewall has its benefits, but
it also has its drawbacks. It can only prevent unauthorized access between
computer networks based on a predefined set of network protocols. Antivirus, on the other
hand, works at the file level, which means that the software program will only
search for harmful programs that are installed on your system, such as Trojans,
adware, spyware, malware, rootkits, Keylogger, etc.
Is Virus Protection Enough?
Users
often ask about the most appropriate way to configure their computers to
protect against threats such as worms and Trojans. They claim that they have
installed virus protection and that they have never opened spam email
attachments.
Still,
they wonder if those measures are enough. Antivirus protection
is a fundamental part of an effective protection solution. It allows you to
detect known threats and many that are new using heuristic technologies. But
there is another technology that can help strengthen your protection: a
firewall.
How The Firewall Helps You Protect Your Website
Vulnerabilities
While antivirus software
helps you protect your file system from unwanted programs, the use of firewalls
prevents attackers or external threats from accessing your system.
Other
threats spread from computer to computer without the user noticing. If one of
those computers has low security settings or unpatched vulnerabilities, they
can infiltrate the system without the user noticing. A good number of worms and
Trojans, also called “bots”, spread in this way, using the Internet to search
for computers to infect. The user will never realize that his system is in
danger because the threat infiltrates his computer stealthily.
This is exactly where the firewall protection works.
The
firewall monitors all network traffic and has permissions to identify and block
unwanted traffic. The fact that today most computers are connected to the
Internet provides attackers with endless potential victims. Attackers probe
other computers connected to the Internet to determine if they are vulnerable
to various kinds of attacks. When they detect a suitable victim, they can
bypass your security systems and infiltrate that computer. At this point, the
attacker can force the team to do just about any task he wants. Attackers often
try to steal personal information to commit financial fraud. All this activity
takes place in the background, without the user being aware of what is
happening.
There
are two basic classes of firewalls: client firewalls and firewall teams.
·
A
client firewall is software that resides on the computer itself and monitors
all network traffic on that computer.
·
A
computer firewall is a physical device connected between the Internet and the
computer.
These
devices are often used in small network environments where multiple computers
must share the same Internet connection. Small routers in many homes and
offices often have built-in firewalls. If you use a router, make sure it has a
firewall.
Both
of these types of firewall can prevent unwanted access to your computer.
Users
who physically roam should always have a client firewall installed on their
system. When we connect to the Internet outside of the office or home, we
cannot take chances.
While Antivirus Software is
an excellent means of protection, adding a firewall can be that right hook that
knocks the attacker out of the game.
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