Firewall software is a tool that you can install on your device, the main use of a firewall software on your local computer is to monitor network traffic, using firewall software you can filter what traffic can get into your device and also what traffic can get out from your device, this process is accomplished by blocking the option for software to get out to the internet.
How does firewall software work:
Firewall software install a driver base network filter, that enter to the drivers list that your network card has, the driver will scan all the traffic that get in and out of your device and base on rules it will block or allow traffic to pass.
Firewall software and Antivirus:
Due the fact that there are a lot of new threats and malware that reveal on a daily basis and the fact that all of them use internet connection for some inner methods and needs, a lot of today anti-virus contains a build in module of firewall software to gain more protection against malware and other network base threats.
There are a lot of firewall software that you can download from the internet, some of them free some cost money, other are part of a security suit, that include antivirus, internet security tool and a firewall, the windows operation system has a build in firewall that is activated automatically, if your settings allow it, and monitoring your network traffic, it will be deactivated automatically if a firewall software application will be installed on the system.
Limitation of firewall software:
As mention firewall software is after all a software that installed on the computer, due to that if a malware, spyware or other form of virus, like rootkit, is already installed on the system it may change the behavior of the system and or the behavior of the firewall software, also if one will install or run a file that contain a malware it may also manipulate the firewall behavior and manage to bypass the firewall, rootkit technology can be used to hide windows objects on the system by using a filter base driver to manipulate normal operating system behavior and due to that if a rootkit is manage to install itself it can close the firewall or even bypass any method the firewall try to do this is also true for antivirus.
Firewall software is an important software in computer security, it is recommended to use one to give your system extra protection when surfing the web, as its basic it can block unauthorized connections that come from the network, it is not enough to only use a firewall software, as for home users, and it is recommended to also use an antivirus to gain more protection to your system.
How to find the best firewall software?>
To get a firewall software you can go to one of the downloads web site and check which one of the firewall software has the most downloads, you can also look on the firewall software that has the best reviews, some of the download site had this feature, and to some of the site even has the editor choices that you can also consider it, keep in mind that the import stuff of a firewall software is the feature that it has the ease of use, after all no one want a firewall software that will take a lot of time to configure.