The Difference Between Hardware and Software Firewalls

Asked By adriel roberts 20 points N/A Posted on - 04/17/2012

Greetings,

I'm quite confident that my software firewall, which is installed by default in my computer, has done its job well. But why do we need a hardware firewall? Are there vulnerabilities in a software firewall that hardware firewall don't have? How will I know if I'll have to use a hardware firewall or stick to my software firewall?

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Answered By Master Ref 0 points N/A #107675

The Difference Between Hardware and Software Firewalls

A firewall is the defense of a computer that prevents a computer from the attack coming from your network. A hardware firewall  should be considered as an important part of your defense as software firewall alone can not prevent all the threats alone. A combination of both is necessary. Consider  software firewall as the security guard in your house and hardware firewall as the alarm system that will help you preventing from unwanted intruders to enter into your house. So the vulnerability remains if you use software firewall only. So it is wise to use both the firewalls to increase the protection of your computer rather than sticking in only one system. Laterally security does matter for overall performance of your computer. So it should be a must thing to do and recommended by the network security experts.

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• Posted on - 04/18/2012
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Answered By Carl Jack 10 points N/A #107676

The Difference Between Hardware and Software Firewalls

Hello Adriel,

The hardware is of great importance just like the software firewall is. It is a small gadget that has got a number of  Ethernet ports, or it could be built into a network router. This firewall is usually connected between the modem and the network, and it filters all traffic that comes in and goes out of the network.

The hardware filters incoming traffic in order to protect against intruders, and it also filters outgoing traffic to ensure that in case a piece of malicious code made through the network, then it won't connect back to the mother server without specific permission. It is very important that you purchase a router with a built-in firewall for home networks.

Regards,

Carl

 

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• Posted on - 09/07/2012
• Question Category: Hardware Firewalls