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Articles: December 2001 - Illinois Buisness Journal
The Firewall: Protect your computer as you protect your home
Let's say you're on your way to an out-of-town vacation. On your way out, you leave the doors of your house unlocked and opened. And while we're at it, let's say you leave your windows and garage door open, too.
Sounds silly, doesn't it? No one would purposely leave their home so vulnerable while they were out of town.
But in a sense, many people "leave their doors unlocked" when they have a connection to the Internet without firewall protection. Many people don't realize the danger, but all of the information that's stored on your computer can be vulnerable to hacking if you aren't protecting yourself with a firewall.
The threat of being hacked is real
When you dial-up or log-on to the Internet, you are creating a "pathway" from your computer to other computers and servers. And just as you can explore what's out on the Internet, hackers could enter your computer on that very same connection if you're not protected.
You've heard of hackers and crackers. These are the people that sit up late at night and eat Doritos and drink Mountain Dew while trying to steal information, deface web sites, and break into computer networks just for fun. Hackers come in all forms-ranging from "script kiddies" (typically younger people that find hacker programs on the Internet) to the professional hackers that will hack for money or fame. While most attacks are aimed at major corporations, hackers may even be attacking you while you access the Internet at home-you probably just don't know it. The Code Red Worm is an example of this.
What's the solution?
The first line of defense is something called a firewall. A firewall is a hardware device or a software program that will allow or disallow defined network traffic in and out of one network to another. In simpler terms, a firewall is something that can help protect your computer from "uninvited guests." Why do I say it will "help" protect? Because the only way to provide absolute protection is by using an isolated computer off the network in a locked room. A firewall is the first line of defense and will protect your computer in most situations by keeping you and your company's data and reputation safe.
Firewalls allow, deny, and log network traffic
Every computer with a connection to the Internet has an IP address. It's like the address to an apartment building. There are also ports that are like the individual apartments in the apartment building. Different services such as e-mail, web traffic, and file sharing use ports and handle the traffic to give you the service you wanted. When you go to www.yahoo.com in a web browser, the browser takes the name address and converts it to the IP address of 216.115.102.82. Since you are using a web browser it communicates over port 80. Most people do not run web servers out of their home so they should deny port 80. If you do run a web server, you would allow port 80 to pass through your firewall. You can also log each denied request so you can investigate whether someone is trying to hack you.
Different levels and types of firewalls
Software firewalls such as BlackIce Defender or ZoneAlarm are the easiest to implement and the cheapest solutions. These programs are typically used on your home computer or small business network whether you use a broadband Internet connection or dial-up.
For a larger network, you may consider a Linksys BEFSR81 - EtherFast 8-Port Cable/DSL
Router that has firewall software and can support up to 253 computers. It is a hardware
solution installed between your networked computers and the Internet and doesn't use any
of your computer's processing power to protect you. This option requires a little more experience with firewall technology to customize, but it can provide more protection.
For larger enterprises, you should operate one or more firewalls on a dedicated Unix
operating system and a software package like CheckPoint-1 Firewall software. While this option is the most expensive and more difficult to implement, it is also the most flexible and powerful firewall solution.
Protect your information
We've all read news stories about how corporate web sites and networks have been hacked and valuable information was stolen. In this day and age, the threat is very real-if you don't have firewall protection installed, experienced hackers can steal your personal and corporate information without you even knowing it.
Just as you would never leave your house unlocked while you're out of town, don't leave your computer vulnerable to intruders. With a little bit of knowledge and the right firewall, you can protect yourself.
This article was published in the December 2001 issue of the Illinois Business Journal and was written by Douglas Campbell.
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