Despite the common belief that once you’ve installed a firewall onto your computer you can breath freely, the battle is not yet over. Firewall testing is necessary to keep everything in check and operating smoothly. First though, in order to understand why firewall testing is even needed one must understand what is a firewall. A firewall is a device or a set of devices that control what can and cannot path from the internet into the computer based on certain set rules. A firewall is generally placed at a junction between a protected and an unprotected networks so nothing sinister makes its way into the protected network.
The rules that control what may pass and what should be stopped are initially determined by the manufacturer of the firewall, be it either hardware or software. However, the user may choose to let pass more or less than the firewall originally permitted. Firewall testing then becomes necessary to check that all the ports, which are the endpoints to the information streaming from the internet. The ports need to be checked because any one of them could potentially be a path that a hacker might use to get inside the secure and protected network. This is what firewall testing aims to avoid.
When the firewall is tested and all the ports are either clean or closed or else thoroughly observed the user can breath freely and relax. Firewall testing can generally be done with a help of a program that is easily found online, or recommended to you by a trusted friend who has already tried it. Either way, only after you are sure that no hacker will be able to breach the sturdy walls of your network can you rest, protected at last behind a trusty firewall that you know is fully secure.
