Smart Firewall

A firewall is like a gatekeeper for your computer. You want to keep your personal information in and keep cybercriminals out. The firewall enforces rules about access to a computer, and the Norton Smart Firewall checks not only what’s coming in, but also what’s going out. If a cybercriminal were to sneak in and try to take your information with them, they could be caught on the way out. The firewall helps block your data like passwords, keystrokes and files from going out the door. The Norton network layer of protection also includes AI-powered technology that analyzes all network traffic, quarantines anything suspicious, and updates the smart firewall when new protection rules come into play. A firewall is one key component of computer security protection.

As a key component in security software, firewalls protect your devices specifically by doing the following:

• Preventing access by unauthorized users through the Internet
• Monitoring communication between your computer and other computers on the Internet
• Providing a filter that allows or blocks attempts to access the information on your computer, based on pre-set rules
• Warning you if another computer attempts to connect to yours
• Warning you if the applications on your computer attempt to connect to other computers

You connect to the web through networks, and networks can be accessed by others. Someone who gains access to your computer through the internet can access your valuable information. Remote access to your computer can mean cybercriminals can access sensitive files or your saved log-in information.

In security software, firewalls help protect against unauthorized access and data going in and out of your computer. They help block your data like passwords, your keystrokes, or files like your tax returns or bank statements from going out the door, so to speak, of your computer. Specific threats that firewalls protect against include:

• Improper Connection Attempts - Be warned about connection attempts from other computers and of attempts by programs on your computer to connect to other computers
• Port Scans - Cloak the inactive ports on your computer thereby providing protection against attacks through hacking techniques such as port scanning
• Intrusions - Monitor the network traffic to or from your computer for suspicious behavior and stops any attack before they threaten your system

An Intrusion Prevention System is technology that looks at network (e.g. Internet) traffic to detect security threats like unwanted access. In Norton device security, the Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) works together with the Smart Firewall to detect malware and intrusions from network traffic. The Intrusion Prevention System inspects traffic in a much deeper way than the Smart Firewall. Once the Smart Firewall lets permitted traffic in, IPS carefully examines the contents of the traffic that comes through. 

A firewall is like a filter or barrier, but something has to inform the firewall of which rules to apply. In Norton device security software, another part of the software called the Intrusion Prevention System, or IPS, uses machine learning to look at millions of data points of what good traffic and bad traffic does, and the IPS then informs the firewall with its learnings. This is particularly important for security in the case of new attack methods that cyber criminals try to use to infiltrate computers or home networks, or to protect against attacks that use old malicious code re-purposed in different ways to bypass security filters. IPS and a firewall are part of the layer of security software that helps protect your computer at the network level, and they work in conjunction with other parts of security software like antivirus that protect in additional ways. With all of the features and technologies that make up Norton device security software, you can have peace of mind that viruses and malware that attempt to enter your computer can get caught by one of the layers of advanced security technology. 

Many Windows® and Mac® computers have a firewall built in, but a firewall is just one part of security software. The Norton Smart Firewall monitors incoming and outgoing traffic, and works together with the Network Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) to inform the firewall about what “good” and “bad” traffic to allow or block. Because it looks at communications between your computer and other computers on the Internet, it protects your computer by:

• Warning you if other computers or programs on your computer attempt to connect to other computers
• Cloaking inactive ports (where internet traffic comes in), providing protection against hacking techniques that use them
• Monitoring network traffic coming into and going out from your computer for suspicious behavior, and blocking attacks before they intrude onto your system