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Firewall is important for the security and obscurity of computer systems. A system must use a powerful firewall to appear strong against hacking and intrusion attacks, unauthorized access, and any threat to privacy. Firewalls have different types of hardware and software. This article mentions the features of the best network software firewall.

What is the nature of firewall work?

Firewalls are tools designed to protect computer systems from hacking, intrusion, unauthorized access, and other attacks. Firewalls have gone through many evolutions to become what we have now. But how many years have firewalls been created?!

Firewalls have been around since the late 1980s. They started as a packet filter to check packets or bytes being transferred between computers. Although packet packets are still used, firewalls have come a long way to reach this point because technology has developed in recent decades.
packet filtering

Firewalls are classified as either network-based systems or host-based systems. Network-based firewalls can be placed anywhere in a LAN or WAN. A host-based firewall is deployed directly on its host to control network traffic or other computing resources. The firewall can be a service as part of the operating system or an active program to protect the entire system.

How does the firewall work?

Firewalls receive inputs connected to a network (files and reports) and compare them based on their criteria. They also route the packets exchanged in the network and log the requests made to the internal network. If they encounter something suspicious, they alert the system administrator about the problem. Now that you are familiar with the functionality of firewalls, it is your turn to get familiar with the types of firewalls, software firewalls, and the features of the best network software firewalls.

Types of firewalls available in the market

Apart from the software and hardware classification of firewalls, different types of firewalls can be considered. Here are the types of firewalls:

1. Packet Filtering or Packet Filtering Firewall: It is one of the oldest types of firewall and is easy to work with, but at the same time, it has a strong performance. This firewall reaches information such as IP address, port number, etc., through a quick check on the router. If the data cannot be checked, the firewall will destroy that data.
2. Circuit Level Gateways or circuit firewall: Circuit firewall usually stores information such as information sequence, source and destination IP addresses, source and destination port numbers, and information on packets entering and exiting the physical network card.
3. Stateful Inspection Firewall: This type of firewall has the best level of security. This firewall controls the flow of traffic between two or more networks. It is a kind of firewall that maintains the path of the active network connection while analyzing the incoming traffic and searching for possible threats. Stateful firewalls can also track attempts by unauthorized individuals to access the network and analyze the data inside the packets to see if they contain malicious code.
4. Proxy Firewall is a network security system that protects network resources by filtering messages at the application layer. Proxy Firewall is also called a request firewall.

Firewalls are one of the complete security layers for any network. Every network (no matter how big or small) needs a firewall. Firewalls can be software (such as Windows Firewall for the operating system) or hardware (such as a filter setting on a router). To better secure the network, it is better to understand the function of a firewall in networking and computing.

What is a network software firewall?

Network firewalls establish the entire network’s security and have two types of hardware and software firewalls. The hardware firewall is installed on the hardware by the manufacturing companies and is installed as an external part in the router’s path or outside of it. On the other hand, a software firewall is installed and launched on the system to create security and control incoming and outgoing data. A network software firewall can protect the network under its control. The variety of network software firewalls is very large, but it should be noted that one of the best features of the software firewall is to reduce the system load.

How to choose the best network software firewall?

To choose the best network software firewall, you should ask questions about the firewall you want. By answering these questions, you can make the best choice and choose a network software firewall that will not cause you any trouble! Some of these questions are:

• Is the firewall used on a small and large scale?
• How much should be considered to buy a firewall?
• How is firewall support?
• Is it easy to manage the firewall?
• Does it meet your needs?
• Are resources and tutorials available?

Now we introduce some examples of the best network software firewalls. Try to choose a firewall that meets most of your needs. Consider your own needs as one of the important selection criteria.

Kerio software firewall

Kerio Control software is one of the most suitable and popular firewalls available in the market in terms of price for organizations and small and medium-sized companies. Cryo Control is a very powerful software that can protect the security of an organization’s servers and networks against various threats. This software checks different security layers by default and prevents possible threats.

Fortigate software firewall

By operating in the field of building products with a high-quality level in the field of network security, Fortnite has taken a huge share of the security of organizations that use the network. The combination of security processors, threat detection artificial intelligence, and intuitive operating systems has resulted in integrated security by this company. The FortiGate firewall reduces network complexity by automatically monitoring applications, users on the network, and more, allowing the administrator to implement best security practices.

Sophos software firewall

The virtual version of Sophos firewalls named UTM Sophos, set for the VMware environment, has provided users with a complete set of security features and a solid operating system. All features of Sophos hardware firewalls are provided in this virtual version, and with high flexibility, it can also be installed on the hardware. Cloud capabilities, detection of malware, security of wireless networks, protection of network software, and many other things are among the positive features of this software firewall.

Conclusion

Choosing the best firewalls for your computer system depends on your needs and the level of security you want. You can spend a lot of money to buy a firewall, but your system may not need the level of security that a firewall provides. So if you decide to use a software firewall for your network, to choose the best one, keep your needs in mind as an important criterion to enjoy firewalls!