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Firewalls. CS158B Don Tran. What is a Firewall?. A firewall can be a program or a device that controls access to a network. Why do I need a Firewall?. The Internet is a very dangerous place. Need to have a way of controlling what gets into and out of your network.
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Firewalls CS158B Don Tran
What is a Firewall? • A firewall can be a program or a device that controls access to a network.
Why do I need a Firewall? • The Internet is a very dangerous place. • Need to have a way of controlling what gets into and out of your network. • Firewalls also give you detailed information of the kind of traffic passing through your network.
How do Firewalls work? • There are different types of Firewalls. • Some operate at the network layer. • Others operate at the application layer. • The higher the level the more security the firewall offers.
Network Layer Firewalls • The most common network layer firewall is the router. • Filters out traffic based on source and destination IP addresses and ports. • Usually fast and operate transparently to the user.
Application Layer Firewall • These are usually hosts that are running proxy servers. • Proxy servers allow for indirect connections between a network and the Internet. • Slower than a Network Firewall, but offers more protection.
Windows Firewall • Windows XP comes with its own firewall service known as Windows Firewall. • Protects your network by blocking unsolicited requests to connect to your network. • Makes managing a firewall easy.
How to configure Windows Firewall • Although blocking unsolicited requests is good… • Sometimes you may want to allow access to your computer. • Examples are Instant Messengers, and some video games may require that other computers connect to your computer.
Configuring Windows Firewall • The first time that your run an application that requires information from the Internet a window will pop up.
Configuring Windows Firewall • To access Windows Firewall’s settings: • 1) Click on the “Start” menu button. • 2) Navigate to “Control Panel”. • 3) Click on “Windows Firewall”.
Windows Firewall Settings • Turns Windows Firewall on and off. • Turns Exceptions on and off.
Exceptions Tab • Add and remove exceptions. • Open specific ports. • Edit current exceptions.
Advanced Tab • Open and close ports for specific connections.
Important Notes • There are always security risks involved with allowing exceptions. • Following these rules will help minimize those risks: • 1) Only allow exceptions if you need it. • 2) Don’t allow an exception for a program that you do not recognize. • 3) Remove exceptions when you’re done with them.