Glossary of terms

FireWall

Firewall (network screen) is a wall of fire or simply a wall between your computer or network of computers and the World Wide Web, i.e. the Internet. In more detail, it is a whole complex of software or hardware designed to control incoming and outgoing traffic (network packets) according to established rules. In network security, a firewall is a system based on software or hardware-based system that is a kind of intermediary between secure and unverified networks, as well as their parts.

The main task of Firewall: Protecting your personal computer or network of computers from external threats, illegal intrusion, access to your personal data, operating system and files from the outside, as well as filtering malicious and potentially dangerous content and connections. The technology can also filter outgoing traffic. This helps to reduce the likelihood of data theft by intruders. In addition, an important function of the firewall is to reduce the risk of devices becoming part of a botnet, a malicious network with a large group of devices controlled by cybercriminals.

There are several types of firewalls with different types of traffic filtering. A first-generation firewall works as a packet filter, comparing basic information such as the original source, destination of the packet, port or protocol used, with a predefined list of rules.

The second generation of firewalls adds another parameter to the filter settings: connection status. Based on this information, the technology can track data about the beginning of the connection and current connections.

Third-generation firewalls are built to filter information using all layers of the OSI model, including the application layer. They recognize applications and some commonly used protocols such as FTP and HTTP.

Based on this information, the firewall can detect attacks that try to bypass it through an authorized port or unauthorized use of the protocol. Newer firewalls are still of the third generation, but they are often referred to as “next generation” or NGFW.

Next Generation Firewalls are able to react quickly and seamlessly to detect and combat attacks across the whole network. Firewalls can act on previously set policies to better protect your network and can carry out quick assessments to detect invasive or suspicious activity, such as malware, and shut it down. By leveraging a firewall for your security infrastructure, you’re setting up your network with specific policies to allow or block incoming and outgoing traffic.

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