Thanks Anders, but that doesn't differentiate the hardware and software aspects. As I understand the methods used to attack MS PC's running Windows, software 'ports' are open to intrusion, so it is software that needs to be implemented to protect them. Maybe you could genuinely define a hardware firewall as a computer running another OS than Windows, and without the logical port structure it contains. I'm open to correction by a systems engineer. My own configuration includes a cable modem with built in firewall, and a hub through which all the PC's are networked, and on which the modem is just another CPU. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Anders Hultman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, August 14, 2003 4:13 PM Subject: Re: OT Virus warning (no hoax beleive me) :-(
> John Coyle: > > >I'm not sure that I understand the difference betweem "hardware" and > >"software" firewalls - it's all software of one sort or another! > > A hardware firewall is a dedicated computer with two (or more) > network interface cards, one being connected to the Big Bad Internet, > the other(s) to the inside network(s). Typically shared by a whole > company as a perimeter defence, stopping (at least) connection > attempts from the outside that noone on the inside has asked for. And > maybe stopping more if set up so. > > A software firewall is a piece of software running on your own > computer. A feature possible in a software firewall that a hardware > firewall can't do is to monitor your network connections on a per > application level. Meaning that it can distinguish between Internet > Explorer accessing port 80 on a remote server, and Evil Trojan doing > the same. > > anders > ------------------------- > http://anders.hultman.nu/ >
