2003-06-30: a firewall sits between your computer and the
rest of the Internet, filtering out unwanted traffic and foiling attempts
to interfere with or take over your computer. Firewalls can be separate
devices, which is very common today, or simply pieces of software for
your own computer, which is also fairly common. Separate firewall devices
are often preferable because their very simplicity makes them less likely
to have unknown security problems; however, it is still important to
keep up with "firmware updates" released by the manufacturer, otherwise
your firewall may be vulnerable to attack. "Cable/DSL routers" and similar
devices sold by companies like
Linksys
provide simple firewall capabilities which are adequate for most
home users.
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