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When and why you need a firewall?
This question has a very simple answer: anytime you have a dedicated
network connection to the Internet or any other untrusted network.
This may seem like a sales pitch, however it isn't.
Any computer connected to the Internet, regardless of the operating
system used, purpose it is used for, or any other factor is susceptible
to various forms of unauthorized access from external networks.You
may feel you have nothing to hide, or anything of value to steal,
so why would they bother your computer. This may be true, but
hackers aren't always after something valuable. For the same reason
vandals write graffiti on the walls, hackers hack - for the fun
of it! In the process, they may destroy all of your data, valuable
or not.
A properly installed and designed security solution is an investment,
not an expense. If you've been fortunate to this point, unfortunately,
your luck will run out at some point.
Software firewalls VS. security appliances.
Firewalling equipment come in many flavors, but each can offer
a unique set of advantages, and disadvantages. Generally speaking,
a device specifically designed for security has a great many advantages
over any software based solutions.
You can use appliances that are hardware based, rather than software
based because of several key factors.
1) The majority of software based solutions have the inherent
limitations and security risks as the base OS in which it runs
on.
2) Since the OS is designed to perform many other operations,
not just security, performance becomes a significant issue, usually
requiring heavily configured equipment to handle the task effectively.
3) While the initial costs may seem less, because of the additional
hardware requirements, usually costs a great deal more.
4) Some software solutions have a great learning curve when it
comes to configuration and management.
5) With only a few specific applications, the hardware solution
will properly handle the job just as or more effectively.
What is vulnerability scanning?
Vulnerability scanning usually refers to an automated or semi-automated
process of checking multiple known and common risks associated
with having computer systems tied to the Internet. In reality,
this description is very limited to the applied science of vulnerability
scanning, but covers the most common approach used.
Vulnerability scanning can be expanded to include internal audits
designed to protect employers from rogue software or mischievous
employees, assessment of various software applications for unknown
or new network vulnerabilities, and more.
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