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A firewall is actually more or less the same as its non-tech definition. A firebreak, in building construction, is set up to contain or prevent fire from spreading from one side of the wall to the other, extra protection, so to speak. A firewall on your PC does essentially the same thing.
Seven Design Avenue describes a firewall this way:
A firewall is a protection used by many local area networks (LANs) or wide area networks (WANs) to protect the network from unauthorized access from outside. They are basically gates that verify users before they leave or enter the network via a user ID, password, or IP address.
bytown internet explains it another way:
A firewall is a system that limits network access between two or more networks. Typically, a firewall is implemented between a trusted, protected private network and an untrusted public network. For example, the trusted network could be a corporate network (ie, Queens University) and the public network could be the Internet. A firewall can grant or revoke access based on user authentication, source and destination network addresses, network protocol, time of day, network service, or any combination of these. This setting is normally controlled by the network administrator.
So how can a firewall help you, the average home user?
By providing an extra level of blocking protection against spam, viruses, and other malware.
Those lucky enough to be running WinXP SP2 (that’s Windows XP, Service Pack 2) already have a built-in firewall they can use. All they have to do is turn it on. Here’s how to make sure you have SP2 and your firewall turned on:
How do I know if I’m running Windows XP?
Easy enough. On your desktop, right click once on My Computer and select “Properties”. The little window that appears should tell you what operating system you’re running. Otherwise, you can also open My Computer and choose Help: About Windows on the taskbar at the top of the window.
Ok, I’m running WinXP. How can I tell if I have Service Pack 2?
The same way we just passed! The two ways listed above will tell you if you are running Service Pack 2 (or sp2).
Excellent! How do I make sure my firewall is on?
First of all, go to your Control Panel (usually located in the Start menu). Find the “Security Center” and open it. You should see the firewall as one of the security features offered; just make sure it’s on.
I don’t have Windows XP or Service Pack 2 and have no plans to upgrade anytime soon.
That’s not a problem. There are other legitimate and trustworthy firewall sites on the Internet (of course, there are some of the other kind too!). Just poke around and Google “firewall program”.
From homecomputersafety.com
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