A firewall prevents the spread of a fire.
A firebreak is an architectural element that is used to prevent fire from spreading within a construction . Its objective is that, if a fire breaks out on one side, the fire does not pass to the other.
For this, the firewall is built with fireproof materials . The presence of this construction element allows the fire not to spread and other environments or buildings neighboring the fire source to be protected.
Firewalls in rural areas
The notion of firebreaks is also used in rural, forestry and agricultural areas. In this case, the firebreak is a strip of land that does not have any type of vegetation. In this way, said strip acts as a barrier to fire, since it does not allow it to spread.
The firebreak can be natural (such as a stream), artificial (a road) or created specifically to prevent the spread of fire (a purposely deforested area).
The firewall
For computing , a firewall is a device used to protect a network . What the firewall does is block unauthorized access, limiting traffic according to various criteria.
It is possible to implement firewalls in software , hardware or a combination of both. One of the most common uses of firewalls is in private networks connected to the Internet , so that unauthorized users do not have access. The firewall analyzes every message that enters or leaves the private network ( intranet ), blocking those that do not meet security requirements.
In computing, a firewall provides protection to a network.
Advantages and disadvantages of firewalls
The concept that people usually have of the firewall is that it is a true wall that stands between the computer and any external entity that tries to enter it to damage it. However, a more realistic view speaks of a filter that allows the data that the user needs to pass and blocks potential threats before they have the opportunity to cause disruption to the system. In practice, not all firewalls are effective all the time, since many have flaws that are exploited by viruses.
One of the main advantages of the firewall is that it prevents the system from being infected by viruses and malware that usually reach such deep levels that an antivirus is unable to completely eliminate them. In the face of such threats, the solution usually requires manual intervention, something that only a few users can carry out without worsening the situation or permanently ruining the computer.
Another strong point of firewalls is that they protect personal information such as credit card and bank account numbers against spyware and keyloggers, since once they have stolen our identity it not only becomes necessary to delete them but also proceed to change our secret keys. carry out procedures such as requesting new cards.
Regarding their disadvantages, it is common for firewalls to block absolutely safe programs, both those that the user usually uses regularly and those that are installed after the firewall is activated, which generates a series of complications and disorders that often lead the user to to refuse protection .
On the other hand, there are firewalls that considerably slow down the system, to the point of offering lower performance than the user needs to perform their usual tasks, which also usually leads to their deactivation, putting the computer at risk once again.
To find a good firewall, the best advice is to investigate forums and opinion sites, read many testimonials and evaluate the available products according to the characteristics of our equipment and the type of activities we need to carry out, since there is no ideal protection for all cases.