A firewall is a device that prevents unauthorized access to a host or a network either from within the corporate environment or from the public network, such as the Internet. Generally, there are two types of firewalls:

1. A hardware firewall takes the form of a closed proprietary appliance with its own operating system. This is considered faster, but a bit expensive.

2. A software firewall is installed on a computer, and it utilizes the computer’s operating system. Firewalls use either hardware or software rules to filter incoming and outgoing traffic to the network.

~How could you use firewalls to support organizational security?

~What are the advantages and disadvantages of using hardware- and software-based firewalls?

~What software tools could you use to assess the security of the firewalls used to protect your organization’s computer architecture?

~How can you bypass blocked sites using anonymous website surfing sites?