Privacy, Security & Virus Information

Software and Hardware Firewalls

Software and hardware firewalls have basically the same ambition: to protect your computer from unauthorised users trying to gain access to your operating systems, programmes, files, or data, for illegal purposes.

It is a digital barrier which guards the entry ports to your computer, sometimes hiding your computer from others and monitoring all the attempts to breach the barrier. And if you've ever wondered if that seems all a bit over the top, take the occasional look at your Firewall report, because you might be just a bit surprised at to how many attacks you are subjected to on a daily basis.

And if that's not enough to make you think you need a Firewall, bare in mind that it has been shown that it only takes about 20 minutes for an unprotected computer to be compromised from linking it via ADSL to the internet. Only 20 minutes.

So, don't dither, if you haven't got a Firewall, switch off your computer then get one. There are two types from which to choose. Firstly, a software firewall is a computer programme which runs automatically in the background.

Secondly, a hardware firewall sits outside the computer as an external device.

Most people use a software firewall. They are usually cheaper, can be configured with ease, can be set-up to stop different criteria of threats and can even differentiate between acceptable and non-acceptable web-sites.

They have two main problems. If your computer gets embedded with a virus, or malware, without the user knowing, then it might turn off the software firewall, or perhaps worse still, take control of it and allow penetration from those intent on stealing data. The second main problem is that it does affect computer performance. Such programmes are memory hungry and if you hear your computer whirling away all the time running the internet security programme, then you should upgrade your PC.

So, the advantage with an external hardware firewall is that it should not be comprised via a virus, or malware, and it will not slow the performance of your computer. The downsides are of course that they can cost more and might be trickier to set-up and keep working.

There's no reason not to use both types and be ultra-cautious, but you might find some communication, or compatibility problems.

Also, a firewall is not an anti-virus programme. You cannot rely on them to stop viruses, or malignant malware, so you must invest in quality anti-virus software as well, although most internet security companies will sell both programmes in one package.

And one final point, although many of the modern computer operating systems have built-in firewalls, it is best not to rely wholly on these. It has been found that they do have inherent weaknesses and you would be better buying an external firewall to give you maximum protection.

So, remember, a firewall is not just for Christmas, it's for life!

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