IT Security: Is the Integrated Firewall Really Enough?

The hacking online currently experiencing a boom. Indeed, thanks to the Internet revolution, the number of victims of pirates and hackers on the web continues to increase. There are currently millions of people who have lost their confidential information. To remedy this, many Internet users have already installed a VPN or a good antivirus for the protection of their private lives, but unfortunately, these actions are not enough because it is also essential to have a powerful firewall.

What is the firewall?

Firewall is an application or hardware that protects a device or machine against all external threats. It is like a shield that filters all computer packets that enter the network or the device equipped with it. The firewall system is generally based on dedicated hardware that acts as an intermediary between the local network and the external network, but it can also be a shield that accompanies the operating system of a computer or a program downloadable from Internet. In the latter case, it often accompanies a virus protection solution.

How the Firewall or Firewall works

The firewall therefore makes it possible to apply an access policy to a machine or a network. The goal in its implementation is to be able to control everything that enters the network in order to limit external attacks. It contains a set of instructions that allow:

• To accept the connection (allow);
• To refuse the connection (deny);
• To reject the connection without any warning (drop).

The analysis of incoming connections is based on the following criteria:

• The first: the source and destination of the computer flow (IP address, TCP or UDP ports, network interface, etc.);
• The second: the options that come with the computer packages. We are talking here about validity, fragmentation, etc.
• The third: the characteristics of the data itself
• And finally user information for the most recent systems

Known flaws in the firewall

Unfortunately, firewalls have their limits because they don’t provide users with absolute security. Indeed, they only offer protection when external communications pass only through their intermediaries. Otherwise, attacks can enter the network.

The firewall must also be properly configured otherwise it would not be of any importance. To properly configure your firewall, you should know a bit about computers. If not, contact an expert. To ensure optimal protection, we also recommend that you never forget to monitor your activity log for intrusions. If necessary, carry out a security watch by subscribing to security alerts for example. Basically, for a firewall to be a real shield, you have to put in place a real security policy.

Practical advice

Use a good vpn to supplement the security features of your firewall. We recommend Fastest VPN which is the best vpn of the year. It currently has many servers around the world and it provides its users with a 256-bit encrypted connection. The protocols compatible with Fastest VPN vpn are PPTP, L2TP and Open vpn. The first two are especially recommended for mobile devices while the Open vpn it works best on MAC or PC computers.