Security | Computer Index

Have You Protected Your Company’s Network With A Firewall?

If you do not have a firewall installed in your corporate network, chances are high that you are putting your entire organization’s intellectual property under high risk. Of course, it is not just a question of safety alone. You probably are losing a lot of money towards taxes as well. Do you know that the money that you spend on your firewall is a deductible expense?

It is related to the safety and security of data in your computers and is certainly allowed as deduction as a business expense. Investing in a firewall and enjoying better safety errors are certainly a smart way of saving taxes.

Financial benefits apart, operating a corporate network without adequate protection in the form of a firewall can be disastrous. You can never use your company’s mail account for confidential transactions. From your profit and loss to your opinion about the latest business opportunities – each and every bit of information can be stolen without access to your office.

Your password to operate your most confidential lockers and safes can be stolen from your computer. Your access to your net banking account can be stolen. The contact information of all your employees including their social security number can be stolen. If you do not opt for sufficient security, you can even be sued by your employees for not caring enough about their safety.

Worst of all, your lack of consciousness towards security will reflect very poorly on your brand image. From your employees to your customers – everybody will be at highest risk until you contact the right person and install the right corporate security network.

The firewall simply happens to be the first line of defense. You will have to go in for many other specifications and configurations to ensure data integrity. Do not delay this decision for even a single second. Get a good quality firewall immediately.

Filed Under: Advancements, Computers, Operating Systems, Technology Tagged With: Control Panel, Firewalls, Security, Windows Firewall

What Are The Advantages Of Going In For A Premium Firewall?

If you are not satisfied with the functionality provided by a free firewall, you can go in for a premium version instead. What are the advantages of premium versions? For starters, you will enjoy a better functionality. Since a commercial organization is developing the software, it will obviously be very easy to use.

The makers of firewalls are well aware that the average individual believes firewalls to be extremely complicated and unwieldy applications. Hence, there is a concentrated effort to simplify the way firewalls are setup. This will make things easier for the average individual.

Most of premium firewalls offer the automated version where each and every component of your system is scanned and predetermined rules and regulations are applied. Hence, all your web browsers and other web related software applications will automatically be provided with the necessary permissions.

In very rare cases will you end up getting blocked and will you find yourself unable to access the web. In such cases, you will have to configure the firewall manually. Most firewalls come with detailed help files that will simplify the task.

Another advantage of going in for premium firewalls is that you get regular updates. It is a common misconception that only antivirus applications require frequent updates. Just as new viruses are being made, newer methods are being discovered to inject the virus into the computer. It is essential to block specific loopholes and weaknesses that individuals have identified in the operating system. For this, you will need frequent updates.

The third advantage of going in for premium firewall is that you get lots of support. From updates in the event of a mass virus break out to tips and hints on how to utilize a firewall better – you will get numerous knowledge options simply by opting for a premium firewall.

Filed Under: Advancements, Computers, Operating Systems, Technology Tagged With: Control Panel, Firewalls, Security, Windows Firewall

Do You Think Firewalls Are Complicated? Read Ahead And Understand The Truth.

How does a firewall work? Despite being very complicated, firewalls have a very simple a logical approach towards securing the computer. The first thing that the firewall checks is the source of the data. If you have executed a command in Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox, the outgoing command that is trying to connect with a remote server is analyzed.

Once the firewall identifies that a reputed and well known software application is issuing the command, it will automatically allow the same. The second thing that the firewall analyzes is the route that is used. All computers have ports. These ports can be compared with doors. Port 80 is the most commonly used for all http traffic. As you know, http traffic is what browsers use.

Hence, any command issued by our reputed web browser going through port 80 will be considered legal traffic and will be permitted. Of course, there is a possibility that a virus may have infected your web browser and maybe misusing the same. In such cases, the firewall will be completely useless. You can go in for advanced firewalls but they will be far too expensive and complicated for your day to day requirements.

Combining the firewall with an antivirus software application will ensure that your computer is protected. For starters, the antivirus program will ensure your programs do not get infected with viruses. Secondly, the firewall will ensure that any standalone or third party program does not contact the web without your explicit permission.

You can opt for slightly more advanced firewalls that can be implemented at the individual level. Here, the firewall acts as a proxy and is the sole point of contact between your computer and the internet. All the data received from the internet is routed through the proxy. In the same way, each and every bit of outgoing data reaches the proxy first and is transmitted to the internet by the firewall.

Filed Under: Advancements, Computers, Operating Systems, Technology Tagged With: firewall, Hypertext Transfer Protocol, Security, Web browser, Windows Firewall

Firewalls Are Essential Only For Safe Web Access. Right? Wrong.

: Image via Wikipedia

A firewall is essential even if the computer is not going to access the web. If you have office computer and if you want to block access to the internet, you have the option of removing the necessary hardware so that the computer is permanently disabled. However, this option is no different than cutting your hand off simply because you want to stop it from stealing things.

Instead, it makes more sense to adopt a smarter and pragmatic approach. Would it not be wonderful if you would retain the ability to surf the web but could restrict the access based on the authority or status of the individual? If you, the owner of the enterprise, wish to surf the web, you should be permitted to do so.

On the other hand, any other employee wishing to access a social networking website should be blocked. Well, how can a firewall help? You can set the specific configuration that will block all net access. Secondly, you can lock the firewall by installing password protection. This means that making any change to the firewall and its configuration will require a special password.

Just retain the master password in your hand or spread it to all those individuals who should be permitted to access the web. The configuration of the firewall can be altered, the web can be accessed and the firewall can be instructed to revert back to its original state after a specific period of time.

You also have the option of using the firewall to block access to the local area network. If you wish a computer to access the web but not the local area network, you can make the necessary changes accordingly.

Of course, coming up with these configurations will often require detailed knowledge of the functioning of the firewall. You can always make use of the web to get more details and data regarding the same.

Filed Under: Advancements, Computers, Technology Tagged With: Access control, Control Panel, firewall, Password, Security, Windows Firewall

Check Out Firewall Logs Regularly To Understand Your Download Habits Better

One of the least used features in firewall is the log and the monitoring option. Very few individuals bother to revert back to the firewall and analyze their own data download habits. Why is it important? Well, if you have an idea of the average data that you download and upload in a single day, then you can easily identify spikes in download and upload.

If it coincides with certain intensive tasks that you were doing online, then it is perfectly acceptable. However, if you find these spikes at regular intervals without any justification of logical reason, then perhaps you need to look into the setup of your firewall and find out whether any unauthorized software is accessing the web.

Further, you can find out when was the last time any software applications got updated. Is the program normally used to log to the internet? If not, then has specific amount of data has been downloaded in the process? Then perhaps the program was simply updating itself. All these details will help you simplify the administrative tasks involved.

Another advantage of using the firewalls log is that you can educate yourself about the various ports, traffic type and the software applications that access the internet. This may seem like a small thing but can make a huge impact to your overall security. You may be completely ignorant about the various ports used by different software applications.

However, as you spend more and more time checking out the logs, you will automatically start seeing patterns. The idea is not to become an expert. The idea is simply to understand the basics of the functioning of your firewall so that your computer can be protected better. At the end of the day, the intervention of a human being is always going to be beneficial as compared to simply relying on the program for your protection.

Filed Under: Advancements, Computers, Operating Systems, Technology Tagged With: firewall, Management Tools, Security, Windows Defender, Windows Firewall

Preventive Security Tip Revoke All Firewall Permissions Once In A While.

If you have not reinstalled your operating system for quite some time, then chances are high that you will have a large number of programs installed on your computer. Further, each and every program will be given the freedom to access the web as and when needed. In such a scenario, identifying a problematic software can become very difficult.

It makes more sense to access the configuration of your firewall and delete each and every program that has been permitted to access the web. Remember, you will not be deleting the software application from your computer. Rather, you will simply be revoking the permission that you have given to each and every program to access the web.

Once this is done, each and every software that connects to the internet will require permission to proceed. If you find certain unknown programs accessing the web, you can restrict your permission and take some time to take a final decision. You can log onto the internet and find out whether certain programs that seem suspicious are actually related to the operating system.

You can find out each and every program’s functionality before proceeding. The idea is to restrict the total number of programs that access the web. The smartest way to achieve this task is to revoke permissions once in a while. If you feel uncertain about taking such a huge risk, you can simply keep track of the programs you have permitted by making a list.

This list should simplify the process. If you find a specific program on the list but if it does not seek your permission again, then you have just eliminated a potential security risk. Each and every individual can carry out these are protective maintenance tasks without any difficulty. All you need is basic understanding of how the firewall works.

Filed Under: Computers, Technology Tagged With: Access control, Computer program, firewall, Security, Windows Firewall