Home Network: Wireless network and firewalls

Wireless network and firewalls

An important but under looked part of networking is security. Security can be in many forms and on many different layers. One of these layers is a firewall. A firewall is basically like a shield that intercepts network traffic and allows program access based on a set of rules. Firewalls can prevent outside hackers from accessing resources inside a network. They can prevent attackers from launching denial of service attacks on unsuspecting victims.

Firewalls can detect when a program is trying to make an outbound connection. This is especially useful as their may be rogue programs such as trojans installed on the users computer, which can try and transmit sensitive data. There are two types of firewall: software firewalls which are installed on a users machine and hardware firewalls, which are embedded in devices such as a router. When deciding to buy a router it is worth investing in which has an embedded hardware firewall.