What is a Firewall?
Image by Robert Couse-Baker on Flickr
Learn about the key software that keeps your computer safe from viruses.
Did you know that computers have what’s called a “firewall”? Don’t worry; it’s not going to burn you or your computer! In fact, firewalls don’t have anything to do with fire.
Despite this, a firewall is a very important part of your computer’s security. That’s because it looks at all the data coming in and going out, and finds anything that looks off or bad. If something doesn’t look right, it blocks that connection and protects your computer.
When you use the computer to connect to stuff outside of it (like going on the internet), your computer sends the data through what’s called a “port.” It’s worth imagining these as boat ports, where ships can leave and enter through them.
If a port doesn’t have any security, everything runs smoothly as long as every boat plays by the rules. If boats use the ports to deliver cargo and people, and nothing shady happens, then everything is fine.
Unfortunately, things aren’t always fine! What if ships start trying to smuggle in illegal goods in their cargo? Maybe even pirates can dock and cause trouble! The best way to stop this is to check each boat coming in to ensure its sailors and its cargo is all legal.
This is what a firewall does for your computer’s ports. It checks if all the connections being made are behaving and doing well, and blocks anything that’s unwanted.
For the firewall to do its job, it needs “rules” to work with. Computers can’t work well with concepts, such as “draw a cat” or “what does happiness feel like”. They do, however, work very well with logic-based rules. As such, a firewall has a lot of rules that it applies to data going in or out to see if it’s allowed or not.
When you install a new program that uses the internet, the firewall may not know what to do with it. That’s why you’ll sometimes see a pop-up from your firewall asking you if it’s okay to let the program to connect to the internet. You usually add an exception to the firewall’s list of rules to allow the program to connect to the internet.
Now you can see why it’s important to have a firewall turned on when you’re surfing the internet. As you browse, connections are being made on your computer’s ports, and data is traveling in and out of them. A firewall helps keep nasty people from getting access to your computer through these ports, so be sure to turn it on while you surf!
So, a firewall is sort of like a wall and has nothing to do with fire. But if that’s true, why does it have that name in the first place? You may be surprised to know that the term ‘firewall’ actually comes from building construction.
Builders sometimes separate buildings or parts of a building with a big wall made of materials that can’t catch fire, such as concrete. That way, if a fire breaks out, it cant spread past the wall. This is similar to the computer firewall, which stops viruses and hackers from getting past the wall into the computer.
While it has a silly name, firewalls are based on a real-life method to save buildings from fires. While builders use them to protect homes, you should use your own to protect your computer from hackers and viruses!
Learn More
Firewall definition
https://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/definition/firewall
What is my IP address?
https://whatismyipaddress.com/port
Firewall FAQs
https://www.adaware.com/faq/firewalls
Three types of firewalls
https://bts-consulting.biz/2017/10/11/the-three-different-types-of-firewalls/
How Firewalls work
https://computer.howstuffworks.com/firewall.htm
Evolution of firewalls
Firewall networking
target=”_blank”>https://wiki.kidzsearch.com/wiki/Firewall
Why are firewalls important
https://www.surfnetkids.com/tech/1173/what-is-a-firewall-and-why-is-it-important/
Kid Safety in Digital Age
https://www.safehome.org/resources/kid-safety-digital-age/”
Origin of term “Firewall”
https://www.techrepublic.com/forums/discussions/origination-of-the-term-firewall/
Firewall construction
Also In The February 2020 Issue

Can you figure out how to divide up coconuts between a group of sailors and a monkey? This puzzle mixes math and coding. Plus you can go online to try the code yourself!

Recreate the classic game in this simple Python tutorial. What whimsical stories can you write?

If you like ships, then you’ll love this easy-to-use website that keeps track of seafaring vessels around the world. Bonus: it helps prevent maritime collisions!

Ready for some good old-fashioned winter fun? In this article, build a digital snowman with Sketchup.

A fun, silly way to share your coding trials and triumphs with friends — because everything is better with kittens!

Should you learn Python, Scratch, Java, Assembly? If you’re feeling overwhelmed by too many options, this article is here to help.

Illustrating computational concepts like decomposition and algorithms with simple, hands-on, and occasionally messy activities.

How do street lights know when to turn on? And what’s in store for the street lights of the future?

In the old days, before video game systems had cameras and sensors, programmers had to get creative.

Six women were hired to use their math skills to program the ENIAC computer. They called themselves The First Programmers Club.

Learn about the key software that keeps your computer safe from viruses.

Programs are constantly being patched and improved. How do we keep track of all this new code?

Dive into the nitty-gritty details of binary numbers: how they work, why they’re used, and where they come from.

Binary might be the language of the computer, but we humans can use it to decode secret messages.

An easy way to code your own 3D graphics online. Dive into the world of pixels, triangles, textures, and colours!

Learn about the smallest, simplest computers and where they’re still used today.

Why Smalltalk is such a unique language, and how it evolved into modern variants like Scratch, Squeak, and Pharo.

Interesting stories about science and technology for February 2020.

Links from the bottom of all the February 2020 articles, collected in one place for you to print, share, or bookmark.