How Does a Firewall Protect Data?
Firewall filters keep harmful data outside your computer. Some of the top risks from which firewalls protect your computer include backdoors, denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, macros, remote logins, spam, and viruses.
Backdoors are “doorways” to applications with vulnerabilities that attackers exploit to get inside. This includes operating systems that may have bugs that hackers can use to gain access to your computer.
DoS attacks are executed when a hacker requests permission to connect to a server, and when the server responds, it cannot find the system that made the request. When this is done again and again, the server gets flooded and has to expend so much power to deal with the mass of requests, rendering it unable to meet the needs of legitimate visitors. In some cases, the server has to come offline completely. There are some firewalls that can check whether the connection requests are legitimate, and thus, protect your network from DoS attacks.
Macros refer to scripts run by applications to automate processes. A macro can contain a series of dependent steps that are all launched by one command. Hackers design or purchase macros intended to work within certain applications. A macro can be hidden inside seemingly innocent data, and once it enters your computer, it wreaks havoc on your system. A firewall can detect malicious macros as it examines the packets of data that attempt to pass through.
Remote logins are often used to help someone with a computer issue. However, in the hands of the wrong person, they can be abused, particularly because remote logins provide nearly complete access to your system.
Spam can sometimes include links to malicious websites. These types of sites activate malicious code that forces cookies onto a computer. The cookies create backdoors for hackers to gain access to the computer. Preventing a spam attack is often as simple as not clicking on anything suspicious in an email, regardless of who the sender appears to be. A firewall can inspect your emails and prevent your computer from getting infected.
Viruses, once on a computer, copy themselves and spread to another device on the network. Viruses can be used to do a variety of things, ranging from relatively harmless activity to erasing data on your computer. Firewalls can inspect data packets for viruses, but it is better to use antivirus software in conjunction with a firewall to maximize your security.
