Understanding Firewalls and Adware
If you’re like me, then you have a lot of questions about firewalls and adware. It can be confusing to know what kind of firewall is installed on your computer and how to turn it on or off, or even what adware means in the first place. In this blog post I’ll break down exactly what these terms mean and give some tips for protecting yourself from them both.
What is a firewall?
A firewall is a software or hardware barrier that prevents unauthorized access to or from a private network. A firewall can be a dedicated appliance (a physical device), or it can be software running on one or more computers in your home.
Firewalls are used to protect your computer, your network and your privacy. They help keep hackers out, prevent malware from infecting computers within the network and block unauthorized users who try to access information on the Internet.
How do I know if I have a firewall installed?
If you’re not sure whether a firewall is installed on your computer, check the following:
- Open Control Panel and click System and Security. The Windows Firewall settings are displayed. If they’re set to off or public, then no firewall is present on the computer.
- Check your operating system’s manual for information on installing or configuring firewalls. The Linux kernel includes its own built-in firewall that can be configured through /etc/sysconfig/iptables and /etc/rc2.d/S99firewall scripts (among others).
How do I know what kind of firewall I have?
If you’re unsure …
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