Q.What is a Firewall? State its purpose in protecting a computer network. (Additional practice question.)

A firewall's job is to decide, using a set of rules, which network traffic is allowed through and which is blocked.

A firewall is a network security system, made of hardware, software, or both, that monitors and controls the flow of incoming and outgoing network traffic based on a set of predefined security rules.

Its purpose is to act as a protective barrier between a trusted internal network (such as a home or office network) and an untrusted external network (such as the open internet), examining traffic against its rule set and blocking anything that appears unauthorised or potentially harmful before it can reach the protected system. This makes a firewall one of the most basic and important cyber-safety tools available to both individuals and organisations, complementing other protections such as anti …

Students sometimes confuse a firewall with antivirus software. A firewall controls what traffic is allowed to enter or leave a network in the first place; antivirus software scans files/programs alrea …