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8. What is rewall ?Which are its components and benets?
Ans: Imagine your computer as a house. Inside, you keep valuable thingsyour files,
passwords, and personal data. Outside, there are strangers, some friendly, some harmful. A
firewall acts like the security guard at your door. It decides who can come in, who can go
out, and blocks anyone suspicious. In networking terms, a firewall is a protective barrier
between your computer/network and the outside world (like the internet).
1. What is a Firewall?
A firewall is a network security system that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing
traffic based on predetermined rules. It acts as a filter, allowing safe data packets to pass
while blocking harmful or unauthorized ones.
In simple words:
Without firewall: Any data can enter or leave your system.
With firewall: Only trusted data is allowed, suspicious activity is blocked.
2. Components of a Firewall
A firewall is not just a single wallit has multiple parts working together:
(a) Packet Filtering
Examines each data packet entering or leaving the network.
Allows or blocks it based on rules (like source address, destination, or port number).
(b) Proxy Service
Acts as an intermediary between users and the internet.
Requests are sent to the proxy, which then fetches data on behalf of the user.
Adds a layer of anonymity and security.
(c) Stateful Inspection
Tracks the state of active connections.
Ensures that only legitimate packets belonging to an established connection are
allowed.
(d) Network Address Translation (NAT)
Hides internal IP addresses from outsiders.
Makes it harder for attackers to target specific devices.
(e) Logging and Monitoring