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In this article, we will discuss the Advantages and Disadvantages of a Firewall. Finally, you will learn the pros and cons of using a firewall.

Advantages of a Firewall

•  Traffic monitor
  
• Protection against malware
  
• stop Hackers
•  Control Access
  
• Privacy
• Easy Installiation

TraInstallation

A firewall’s vast responsibility is monitoring the traffic passing through it. Information traveling through a network is in the form of packets. The firewall inspects each packet for any hazardous threats. If it finds them, it will immediately block them.

Protection against malware

Malware, especially the type of Trojan, is dangerous to a user. A Trojan silently sits on your computer, spying on all the work you do. Whatever information they gather will be sent to a web server. You will not know their presence until you notice the strange behaviors on your computer. A firewall in this instance will immediately block Trojans before they cause any damage to your system. Hackers.

Hackers on the internet always search for computers to carry out their illegal activities. When they find such computers, they start to do malicious activities, such as spreading viruses. Apart from those hackers, unknown people, such as neighbors, can also look out for an open internet connection. Therefore, to prevent such intrusions, it is a good idea to have firewall security.

Control Access

Firewalls come with an access policy that can be implemented for specific hosts and services. Attackers can exploit some hosts by blocking them from accessing the system. This access policy can be enforced if users feel they need protection from unwanted access.

Privacy

Privacy is one of the major concerns of a user. Hackers constantly look for privacy information to get clues about the user. However, by using a firewall, many of the services a site offers, such as the Domain Name Service (DNS), can be protected. Hence, hackers have no chance of getting privacy details. Additionally, firewalls can block the site system’s DNS information. Due to this,  the names and IP addresses will not be visible to the hackers.

Easy Installation

The installation process of a software firewall is quite simple, and you can do it without any professional guidance. Moreover, there are some useful tutorials on the internet that help you learn the complete process in detail. Modern Operating systems like Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10 come with pre-installed firewalls. However, the hardware firewall is challenging to install and maintain. To access them, we need to take professional advice.

Disadvantages of a Firewall

• User limitation
• Cost
• Performance
• Malware Attacks
• Complexity

User limitation

There is no doubt that firewalls prevent unauthorized access to your system from the network. While this can be advantageous for an average user, it can be a problem for large organizations. The firewall’s policies are strict enough to prevent employees from performing certain operations. As a result of this, the overall productivity of the company can affect severely. Sometimes this can also prompt employees from using backdoor exploits. However, this can lead to security problems since the data that travels through the travel door exploit is not examined properly.

Cost

Firewalls do require an investment, depending on the type. In general, hardware firewalls are more expensive than software firewalls. Besides, hardware firewalls require installation and maintenance, which can be costly. These types of configurations do not work without an expert IT employee. Compared to a software firewall, there is little investment, and it is easy for an average user to deploy.

Performance

Firewalls, especially software-based ones, have the capability to limit your computer’s overall performance. The processing power and the RAM resources are the factors that affect overall performance. When the software firewalls constantly run in the background, they consume more processing power and RAM resources, leading to diminished system performance. However, hardware firewalls do not impact the system performance since they do not rely upon computer resources.

Malware Attacks

Even though firewalls can block the basic types of Trojans, they are defenseless against other types of malware. These types of malware can enter your system in the form of trusted data. Therefore, even if you have a firewall, it is still recommended that you have anti-malware software installed on your PC. The only way to remove them is through an anti-malware scan.

Complexity

Even though firewall maintenance is easy for small businesses, it is definitely not for large organizations. Large organizations require a separate staff to operate them. These people ensure it is safe enough to protect the network from intruders.

Conclusion

So, we explained the Advantages and Disadvantages of Firewalls. We hope you enjoy reading it and that you can share this article with your friends and colleagues to learn more about Firewalls.