firewalls

firewalls

1. can be hardware or software

   • hardware is usually between an external network and an internal connection
   • Software blocks network data travelling in and out

2. fiter and reject suspicious network packets arriving from a small network

3. first line of defence in preventing devices from being attacked by malware and viruses

4. Benefits and drawbacks

   • benefits
     • Stops attackers from gaining unauthorised access to a device
     • can be customised to block access to specific websistes which is usefull for organisations such as schools
     • Easy to install and there is usually a wizard to guide you through the process
   • drawbacks
     • can block access to safe and trustowrhy websites by thinking it is unsafe
     • takes up a lot of network and memory as it has to scan everything that goes in and out of a computer
     • many have an increasingly expensive subscription