Use a firewall

Protects a computer or network from unauthorized access.

A device that joins networks (for example, to connect your home network to the Internet). A router is also known as a gateway or base station.

Your router uses NAT to connect multiple computers to the Internet using just one IP address. NAT is an abbreviation for Network address translation.

This tracks each connection through firewall to make sure it is a valid connection. Inspection includes checking the data (that is, the content of data packets), as well its source and destination.

This is the process of authorizing users, groups, and computers to access network resources. For example, you might limit access to the file Finances.xls to a particular user in your home. You can control access using a variety of factors and settings (for example, the IP address of a user's computer).

A number that identifies a computer or device connected to a network or to the Internet (for example, 192.168.0.1). IP is an abbreviation for Internet Protocol.

Use a firewall

Help block unauthorized users automatically by using a firewall, on either—or both—your router and the computers in your network that use firewalls.

Your router's firewall

Routers include a firewall that prevents unauthorized communication on nearly all ports. For this purpose, routers use network address translation (NAT), which is a basic firewall feature. For more information about NAT, see the product documentation for the router.

Computer firewalls

Software firewalls are often separately purchased and installed, and—in some cases—are included in a suite of security-related programs. Here are the names of a few popular software firewalls:

Software firewalls provide an additional layer of protection for the computers on your network. There are many brands of software firewalls out there. Your AOL membership entitles you to special, custom products. Click here to check out those products: AOL Keyword: Firewall

However, your computer might include a firewall without you knowing about it. For example, many computer manufacturers include firewall software already installed (bundled) on new computers. Also, recent Microsoft Windows versions include a software firewall (for example, in Windows XP Home and Windows XP Professional). In addition, with recent updates (service packs), the software firewall is turned on by default.

Generally, you know you have a software firewall installed if you frequently need to confirm whether you want to allow or deny access to certain programs or types of traffic from the Internet or a network. A software firewall is also known as a personal firewall.

Among common firewall features are the following examples. Each helps make a network more secure:

If you have a firewall and want more information about it, see the firewall documentation.

Learn more about firewalls

For more information about Network Magic and firewalls, see Set up your firewall.

For information about the ports that Network Magic uses, see Network Magic ports.

For more information from AOL about firewalls, go to the America Online main menu and use following keyword: