Firewalls Won’t Keep the Enemy Out

Firewalls serve as a barrier. Like a wall around a castle, they are meant to block potential attackers from gaining access to what’s inside.  A firewall is a standard piece of security software that screens both incoming and outgoing data, scanning for hackers, malware, or anything that may put your network at risk.  But like most first lines of defense, nefarious actors are bound to find a way around the wall – the firewall – because if there is a will, there is a way. This is why you need to secure your information because there is a good chance the firewall may not hold up.

Firewalls for Everyone

Firewalls can be purchased and constructed by anyone.  They are not tooling exclusive to large corporations. Although the larger business has copious amounts of data that is desirable to hackers, individual users and their smaller networks have become just as attractive to hackers.

Not using firewalls can allow hackers quiet access to hold your data hostage, steal personal information, and even launch attacks on other networks from your computer.  When said and done, implementing tight security measures, including firewalls, is a must for any and all individual users.

Bypassing Your Firewall is Easy

Like the Greeks, who used the Trojan Horse to enter the city of Troy, hackers can lure victims into granting them access to their networks.  By providing unsafe links or images a hacker waits and baits a person to open or execute the attached malware. The hacker gets through the firewall because they are now essentially an invited guest.  

Some administrators complain that they spend too much time managing their firewall.  This is never a good sign as other priorities will soon steal limited maintenance time.  Other administrators complain that they can’t get the threat information needed from their current firewall product.  This means that the network is not being adapted to meet the statistical threat profile. Lastly, some firewalls are too difficult to figure out how to use and key features are never activated.  This leads to holes in the firewall that are easily exploited.

Types of Firewalls

The two most common firewalls available on the market are application gateways and packet filtering gateways. The application gateway, also known as an application proxy, is not typically preferred.  It often creates computational problems as a result of how much strain it puts on the processor, causing high CPU usage.

In contrast, the pack filtering gateway does not use as much overhead and is the preferred firewall on hectic networks.  Pack filtering gateways use the source and destination of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses to assess whether it should stop information from passing through a given network.

Installing a firewall is a layer of protection.  It is not a permanent remedy to your cybersecurity challenge.  Firewalls serve as your barrier and first round of defense. It checks visitors entering the castle like a knight scanning for enemies attempting to steal the crown jewels.  If you don’t maintain your firewall and update it, you may impede your own service requirements. This will likely make it minimally effective in your business environment.

Protecting Yourself

The sad reality is that nothing is “un-hackable”, but there are important measures users should take to decrease their likelihood of falling victim to a cyber-attack. The more difficult you make it for a hacker to access your data, the less motivated they become to dedicate time hacking you.

First, secure your network.  Be sure to create complicated passwords that consist of numbers, letters, and special characters. In addition, set up a firewall! As mentioned, this is your first line of protection. For your convenience, most routers nowadays come equipped with pre-installed firewalls.

Second, update your software and antivirus protection programs often. This will ensure that everything is running smoothly and as the name states, stays up-to-date.

And lastly, don’t trust unknown websites, attachments, and images.  Remember, the hackers are similar to the ancient Greeks in that they will lure you in with something that seemingly unharmful.  As a matter of fact, it may be desired.

Onward

The wall around your castle, in this case, the firewall installed onto your computer network, has a great security value.  In today’s world, we are all vulnerable to a variety of exploits, hacks and attacks. Educate yourself on the potential hazards posed by digital vulnerabilities in the cybersecurity world and be sure to implement the necessary forms of protection.  The breakthrough should be with your cyber awareness and not your network perimeter.

Max cybersecurity is a leading cybersecurity consultant Washington DC, Visit our website if you want to learn or need services.