CompTIA A+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide

they should not install and use on the network. Any user who understands the
risks of questionable actions on their computers will usually do the right
thing and stay away from malware.
Finally, have your users run antivirus and antispyware programs regularly.
Schedule them while interfacing with the user so you know it will happen.
Firewalls
Much as anti-malware programs are essential tools in the fight against
malicious programs on the Internet, firewalls are devices or software that
protect an internal network from unauthorized access to and from the Internet
at large. Firewalls use a number of methods to protect networks, such as
hiding IP addresses and blocking TCP/IP ports.
A typical network uses one of two types of firewalls: hardware firewalls,
often built into routers, and software firewalls that run on your computers.
Both types of firewall protect your computer and your network. You also run
them at the same time. Let’s look at both a typical SOHO router’s firewall
features and your computer’s software firewall to see how they protect your
network and your computers.
Hardware Firewall Settings
Most SOHO networks use a hardware firewall, often as a feature built into a
router like the ASUS model shown in Figure 27-26. A hardware firewall
protects a LAN from outside threats by filtering the packets before they reach
your internal machines, which you learned about back in Chapter 21, “The
Internet.” Routers, however, have a few other tricks up their sleeves. From
the router’s browser-based settings screen (see Figure 27-27), you can
configure a hardware firewall. Let’s walk through a few of the available
settings.