Introduction to Firewalls
A firewall is a device that sits between your computer and the Internet that prevents unauthorized access to or from your network. A firewall can be a computer using firewall software or a special piece of hardware built specifically to act as a firewall. In most circumstances, a firewall is used to prevent unauthorized Internet users from accessing private networks such as corporate LAN’s and Intranets.
A firewall watches all of the information moving to and from your network and analyzes each piece of data. Each piece of data is checked against a set of criteria that the administrator configures. If any data does not meet the criteria, that data is blocked and discarded. If the data meets the criteria, the data is passed through. This method is called packet filtering.
A firewall can also run specific security functions based on the type of application or type of port that is being used. For example, a firewall can be configured to work with an FTP or Telnet server. Or a firewall can be configured to work with specific UDP or TCP ports to allow certain applications or games to work properly over the Internet.
7