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Group 6:

Othman Zia
Thanh Tran
Julio Torres
Research Paper
CS 100-014
Junilda Spirollari
ire!all
"hat is a #ire!all$ As much as the internet is exciting, useful, and even fun, it does have its
own sets of dangers that are encountered from time to time. Computer viruses are always looming and
waiting to enter your system and hackers are always eager to step into your network and do any amount
of damage they can, stealing or corrupting information. However, firewalls prevent this by restricting
what is allowed to enter into your network or computer and blocking unwanted programs, data, and
even simple entry into said network or computer. There are 2 main forms of firewalls hardware and
software.
%ard!are: !irewall hardware is generally a device to cover entire networks and protect said
networks. These physical firewalls are generally used at large offices and institutions when there is a
need to protect a vast amount of different computers and users.
So#t!are: "oftware is what most of us use on our own private computers. These are generally
anti#virus programs that monitor activity directly through your own computer as opposed to the
physical hardware devices. "ome popular anti#virus software include $orton, Avast, and %cAfee.
%o! a #ire!all !or&s is through the usage of certain rules. &magine them as a guard to a
security gate. 'nly certain people are allowed to pass while others are simply denied access. %uch the
same, a firewall follows set of rules of what to let through and what to block. These sets of rules are
determined by the user who sets them. $ow while a firewall can block and allow very certain items to
go through, what happens when something unknown that doesn(t fall within the boundaries of set rules)
"imply put, the firewall will block these anyways. &t(s more likely than not an trusted source and so it(s
generally better to be safe and *ust block it.
ire!alls essentiall' act as a #ilter( There are + types of filtering mechanisms
Pac&et ilterin): *,ata flow consists of packets of information and firewalls analy-e these
packets to sniff out offensive or unwanted packets depending on what you have defined as unwanted
packets..
2
Again, these rules are defined by the user on what is allowed to pass or is blocked.
Pro+': /!irewalls in this case assume the role of a recipient 0 in turn sends it to the node that
has re1uested the information 0 vice versa..
2
A proxy is a uni1ue filter and is by far the safest of the +
but it sacrifices speed and functionality in the process. A proxy acts as an intermediary between 2
entities that are trying to connect to one another. 2hat occurs is that instead of a direct connection
between the 2, the proxy routes the connection to a new area. This prevents hackers and malicious data
from directing entering your system and also prevents the other party from directly finding you.
,nspection: /&n this case !irewalls, instead of sifting through all of the information in the
packets, mark key features in all outgoing re1uests 0 check for the same matching characteristics in the
inflow to decide if it relevant information that is coming through..
2
$ow while firewalls can be set to block unwanted items such as viruses, there are other things that
firewalls can restrict as well.
,P -ddresses: As all computer and their networks have their very own uni1ue &3 addresses,
these &3 addresses can also be blocked from passing a firewall. This is useful in blocking &ps or a range
of &3s that the user may deem malicious or are unwanted.
.omain /ames: 4estricting domain names will only allow certain names and websites to gain
any sort of access to your own network. Along with that, others who use your network can be restricted
to only being able to access certain domain names, such as .edu or .gov. This serves a great purpose in
schools in order to restrict students from accessing sites that are not useful towards educational
purposes.
Protocols: !irewalls can even block more advanced items such as &3, "%T3, and !T3, all of
which are sets of codes and rules through which data is transferred.
Ports: 3orts are points of entry for data and users. 5y blocking and restricting ports, these entry
points are closed off to viral software and hackers, as well as allow a flow of data that only the user
wishes to pass through.
0e'!ords: 6astly, firewalls can also block out key words or terms. This acts as a filter, and
again is useful for schools and even businesses to restrict explicit and unwanted material.
Technolo)' is al!a's chan)in)( And along with this change comes advancements in the
viruses and malicious data that attempt to enter our systems as well. As such, firewalls will need to
evolve into the future to tackle these challenges. 5ut as we can already see in current times, companies
are advancing technologies to combat these changes. Things like /intrusion#prevention systems 7&3"8,
web filtering, 93$, data#loss prevention, malware filtering, even a threat#detection sandbox..
+
These
features are designed to accommodate the users of today, who browse and download files from the
internet fre1uently, and often these are from less than trustworthy sites.
The #ire!all is a very useful tool that helps to protect users from anything that can damage or
even destroy their computers. Having a proper firewall should never be overlooked, especially if you
have important information on your device, such as credit card information or your bank account
information. 4egardless of what it is, always have a firewall to protect it.
"or&s Cited
/2hat is a firewall). Techluminati. :+ ;anuary 2<:+. 2eb. = %arch 2<:=.
http>>techluminati.com>category>networking#and#security> This source provides a simpler explanation
to firewalls, necessary in explaining it so everyone can understand in basic terms.
2
/An &ntroduction to !irewalls.. An Introduction to Firewalls. 2eb. = %arch 2<:=.
http>>www.firewallinformation.com> This source provided more in#depth information as well as
firewall types and what they can block.
+
/How 3roxy !irewalls 2ork.. Bullguard. 2eb. = %arch 2<:=. http>>www.bullguard.com>bullguard#
security#center>pc#security>computer#security#resources>how#proxy#firewalls#work.aspx This source
was used to explain proxy firewalls in the report and is from a firewall provider.
%essmer, ?llen. /How will cloud, virtuali-ation and ",$ complicate future firewall security).
NetworkWorld. 2@ ;une 2<:+. 2eb. = %arch 2<:=. http>>www.networkworld.com>news>2<:+><A2@:+#
sdn#cloud#virtuali-ation#firewall#2@:+B=.html This article delves into the future of firewalls and is
from $etwork2orld, a source that mainly consists of technological news and stories.

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