In this blog i will be explaining the uses of two software utilities.
These Utilities will be:
- Firewalls
- Virus Protection
Firewalls
If you use the internet a lot, you nay have heard of the term "firewall". But what is it? How is it Used? And how does it work? Firewalls for years have been a great help with protecting computers in large companies. It is now become a critical part of a home networks safety too. It turns out that even a small home network can have many of the same security issues that a large company can have. A firewall is used to protect your computer from offensive websites (websites that pass on viruses) and potential hackers.
A firewall is a barrier to keep dangerous forces away from your property. This is where its name comes from. Its job is very similar to a physical firewall which keeps flames from speading from one area to the next. A firewall is simply a program which filters the information that pass through your computer system. If a packet of information is flagged by these filters its is not allowed through.
Some operating systems come with a firewall already built in. if this isn’t true for you a firewall software can easily be installed with a network that has an internet connection.
Why use firewalls?
There are a large amount of creative ways people can use to access or abuse unprotected PCs:
- Remote Login – this when someone can connect to your computer and control it in some form. A program which can do this is known as a RAT (remote access Trojan or remote access tool). This can range from accessing files on your PC to running programs on your computer.
- Application back doors – some programs have special features which can allow remote acess. Others contain bugs which provide a backdoor, or a hidden access point which provides someone to enter your system and provides some level of control of that program.
- Viruses – this is probably the most know threat to your computer. A virus is a small program which copies itself to other computers. This is how a virus can quickly spread from one PC to hundreds. It can travel through a network and infect others. Viruses can range form a simple harmless message, to a complete wipe of all your data.
- Spam – this is typlically harmless, but very annoying, spam is the electronic junk mail. However it can be dangerous. Some spam may contain links to offensive websites. Therefore you should always be carful when clicking these links.
There are many more ways someone can cause damage to your PC. These are just the most common.
This can be all it takes to realise how important a firewall is. There are so many of these dangers that it is near impossible to safely browse the internet without a firewall.
In a quick summary, a fire wall is a piece of software which prevents harmful programs from entering your PC.
Virus Protection
Although a firewall can protect your computer from viruses. Some still are able to get through. This is usually encrypted in other downloads, which you will then download and infect your PC. If you have found a free open access program and wish to download it, if you have a firewall, a warning message may coming up, requesting permission to download this piece of software. Sometimes without realising, clicking yes to this can give your PC a virus. This is why we also need Virus protection.
There are many programs that are committed to keeping your PC safe. Some can even be free, examples like AVG are good quality but free virus protection programs. These can detect harmful viruses and quickly remove them.
