FIREWALLS

Firewalls

Firewalls

The only way to truly secure the computer is to isolate it from non-secured networks. Organizations are increasingly finding that they lose too much by adopting this approach and that an Internet connection is becoming a commercial requirement. Initially careful system management and clever router configuration provided protection. However as the number of, and demand for, Internet services grew proxy servers or application gateways have been the standard means of protecting an organization from the Internet and have remained so for the past two or three years.

Organizations are now looking beyond passively protecting themselves to see what they can do to use the Internet for competitive advantage. This has led firewall vendors to focus on authentication and encryption technology and has led to the emergence of Secure Wide Area Networks or Virtual Private Networks, and to secure transactions being routed across the Internet.

There are still significant issues that need to be addressed, the speed and reliability of traffic movements across the Internet and key management protocols for example.

The role of the firewall is developing with the changing usage of the Internet as illustrated by the emergence of Intranets and the need to protect internal in addition to external boundaries.

There will be major structural change in the firewall market over the next few months. Firewall vendors have started to co-operate due to which the standards are emerging. Both of these factors should benefit organizations that currently struggle to choose the right product.

Introduction

In the world of today, computers have become the necessity of every single person from school level to business and Governmental level, as everybody wants to acquaint himself/herself to cope with the changes in technology.

In order to gain immense information, everybody proceeds to the Internet, but it acts like a double-edged sword, which on one side is a place providing any information that is imaginable, whereas on the other side, it is a heaven for the criminals.

So, in order to make the computers safe and secure from the attack of hackers, firewalls are immensely needed.

Firewalls

Firewall is still a prudent measure. Anyone who connects to the Internet needs some form of protection. Many go so far as to "firewall" all their systems. Whether this is overkill depends greatly on the situation and risk assessment. While it's foolish to install and use a $50,000 security system to safeguard a $10 pile of sand, it's just as foolish to use a $3.00 lock to secure a warehouse full of diamonds. Certainly any information stored on a computer system is worth at least the price of the system itself plus any extra paid for an Internet connection. So installing no lock at all, and in this case the firewall performs an access control function similar to a lock, makes little sense, particularly when the lock costs nothing or just a little implementation time.

Even mom and pop connecting to the Internet to get their e-mail would be well advised to have a firewall. Any company directly connected to the Internet without at least this modicum ...