firewall

Advantages use

1. A feeling of increased security that your PC and contents are being protected.
2. Relatively inexpensive or free for personal use.
3. New releases are becoming user friendly.
4. You can monitor incoming and outgoing security alerts and the firewall company will record and track down an intrusion attempt depending on the severity.
5. Some firewalls but not all can detect viruses, worms, Trojan horses, or data collectors.
6. All firewalls can be tested for effectiveness by using products that test for leaks or probe for open ports.

Disadvantages of use

1. Firewalls evolve due to cracker's ability to circumvent them increases.
2. "Always on" connections created by Cable and DSL connections create major problems for firewalls. This can be compared to leaving you car running with the keys in it and the doors unlocked which a thief may interpret as an invitation to "Please steal me".
3. Firewalls cannot protect you from internal sabotage within a network or from allowing other users access to your PC.
4. Firewalls cannot edit indecent material like pornography, violence, drugs and bad language. This would require you to adjust your browser security options or purchase special software to monitor your children's Internet activity.
5. Firewalls offer weak defense from viruses so antiviral software and an IDS (intrusion detection system) which protects against Trojans and port scans should also complement your firewall in the layering defense.