The Reading Module. The Differences and Features of Hardware

A firewall is a protective system that lies, in essence, between your computer network and the Internet. When used correctly, a firewall prevents unauthorized use and access to your network. The job of a firewall is to carefully analyze data entering and exiting the network based on your configuration. It ignores information that comes from an unsecured, unknown or suspicious locations. A firewall plays an important role on any network as it provides a protective barrier against most forms of attack coming from the outside world. Firewalls can be either hardware or software. The ideal firewall configuration will consist of both. In addition to limiting access to you computer and network, a firewall is also useful for allowing remote access to a private network through secure authentication certificates and logins. While many people do not completely understand the importance and necessity of a firewall, or consider it to be a product for businesses only, if your network or computer has access to the outside world via the Internet then you need have a firewall to protect your network, individual computer and data therein. Hardware Firewalls Hardware firewalls can be purchased as a stand-alone product but more recently hardware firewalls are typically found in broadband routers, and should be considered an important part of your system and network set-up, especially for anyone on a broadband connection. Hardware firewalls can be effective with little or no configuration, and they can protect every machine on a local network. Most hardware firewalls will have a minimum of four network ports to connect other computers, but for larger networks, business networking firewall solutions are available. A hardware firewall uses packet filtering to examine the header of a packet to determine its source and destination. This information is compared to a set of predefined or user-created rules that determine whether the packet is to be forwarded or dropped. As with any electronic equipment, a computer user with general computer knowledge can plug in a firewall, adjust a few settings and have it work. To ensure that your firewall is configured for optimal security and protect however, consumers will no doubt need to learn the specific features of their hardware firewall, how to enable them, and how to test the firewall to ensure its doing a good job of protecting your network. Not all firewalls are created equal, and to this end it is important to read the manual and documentation that comes with your product. Additionally the manufacturer's Web site will usually provide a knowledgebase or FAQ to help you get started. To test your hardware firewall security, you can purchase third-party test software or search the Internet for a free online-based firewall testing service. Firewall testing is an important part of maintenance to ensure your system is always configured for optimal protection. After text activity IX. Reading Exercises: Exercise 1.Read and memorize using a dictionary:

firewall, to prevent, suspicious, in addition to, remote access, authentication, via, broadband router, packet filtering, to forward, knowledgebase, maintenance

Exercise 2. Answer the questions:

1) What are the functions of a firewall?

2) What will the ideal firewall configuration consist of?

3) What does a hardware firewall use?

4) How can you test your firewall security?

5) What can protect every machine on a local network?

Exercise 4. Match the left part with the right:

1 A firewall is a	a) unauthorized use and access to your network.
2.When used correctly, a firewall prevents	b) protective system that lies, in essence, between your computer network and the Internet.
3. The job of a firewall is	c) information that comes from an unsecured, unknown or suspicious locations.
4. Firewall ignores	d) to carefully analyze data entering and exiting the network based on your configuration.