Question

3. Explain how hardware and software firewalls work and discuss the pros and cons of each. Which one is better? Justify your answer. In detail

Answer 1

A firewall is a protectective system that lies between the your computer network and the internet.A firewall can be hardware or software.

When used correctly , a firewall prevents unauthorized access use and access to your network or computer.

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.

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.

A firewall is a product for business 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.

Software firewalls:

Pros:

->controls traffic,prevents bad Guys from breaking in and it helps keep confidential data from being sent out .

->Controlls network access to one or more computers. The Internet is a large network that includes your computer , The firewall protects your computer by acting as a gate through which both all the data must pass , It blocks certain kinds of traffic .

->The firewalls mask your IP address and limit traffic types ,the external computers communicate with them , instead , The firewalls limit the connections to the trusted networks only .

->It is configured to inspect the network traffic that passes between the network and the internet.

->When your private network is connected to the internet, It allows anyone to access the information from the external sources , And it allow the external users to enter the private network and steal the information from the network , You should have the firewalls to protect them .

->The software firewalls are cheaper , They are ideal for personal or home use , They can be configured or reconfigured easily .

Cons:

->The software firewalls takes up system resources , It is difficult to remove or un-install the firewall software.

-> Cant handle more traffic loads.

->Configuring and maintaining the firewall software can be a difficult , The network firewall can lend less security , encouraging them not to maintain security at the machine level .

->The firewalls can be difficult to use correctly especially for the new users , They may block the users from performing certain actions on the  internet until the firewall configured correctly.

->The individual system’s operating system-based firewall can provide a great security.

-> More prone to be attacked by hackers when you not configure the firewall and more security risk involved.

Hardware Firewalls:

Pros:

->The hardware firewall or the router is connected to the internet and your network , The routers are separate devices that protect your entire network .

->The hardware firewalls is speed ,are used for the faster response times , and they handle more traffic loads , The firewall is less prone for the attacks , This in turn reduces the security risk , The hardware firewalls have enhanced security controls .

->The hardware firewall provides more complete protection than the software firewalls , The hardware firewall can protect the network of computers .

->The hardware firewalls don’t run on your system and not effect system performance , They do not depend on your operating system and software applications .

->The hardware firewall or the router can protect multiple systems and shield your computer from outside hacker attacks .

Cons:

->A dedicated hardware firewall costs more than a software firewall , It is difficult to install, upgrade ,takes up physical space and involves wiring .

-> When the hardware firewalls can not run on the computer, they can be a challenging to configure .