Firewalls. They’re popular in television and movies as barriers that hackers must break down before gaining access to data or control of computer systems. But what are they really? And how do they actually work?
In the simplest of terms, a firewall is a doorway to a computer or network. Like the door to your home, it provides some boundaries on what can get in or out. In the case of your home, it fits into a door frame that limits the size of objects that can pass through it. Firewalls operate no differently. They fit into broadband pipes that determine how much data can pass through. No matter how efficient and effective your firewall is, nothing can get through if it’s too big for the pipe.
Firewalls are also like doors, in that they are keyed for entry. Anyone with a key that fits can get through. But, unlike doors, firewalls are composed of thousands of smaller doors that direct people to certain parts of the house. Key A will get you to the kitchen, but not the dining room. Key B will take you to the master bedroom, but not the den, and so forth and so on.
Clever hackers can indeed breach your firewall, just as a clever thief can pick your door lock, but these are not the breaches as seen in the movies. They are subtle attacks that are much harder to detect than fiction would have you believe.
We can help you understand what your firewall is and isn’t doing for you, and configure it so that it does what you need it do. Contact ustoday to get started, to ensure that all your doors are locked.