Firewalls block unwanted network communications, while antivirus software deals with malicious programs. They often work together to protect against the same threats, and both require regular updates to stay effective. Firewalls protect against unauthorized access, while antivirus software monitors running programs for new threats. Together they can provide complementary protection against viruses that try to send messages to the internet or when malicious individuals attempt to access a system over the network.
Firewall and antivirus software are two fundamentally different types of security applications, both designed to protect an individual’s computer system from invasions and attacks. A firewall is set up to block access from unwanted network communications, which often include both incoming and outgoing messages. Antivirus software is designed to deal with malicious programs that sneak into a person’s computer. Firewall and antivirus software are often distributed together as part of a single software package and, due to the nature of some network threats, often work in tandem to protect a person’s system in different ways from the same threats.
Viruses are constantly changing as malicious programmers come up with new ways to corrupt computer systems and antivirus software must change along with the threats. Most antivirus apps are designed to monitor running programs for new threats and usually the user can scan for infected files, removing any that it finds. Sometimes a new virus is developed that the program doesn’t recognize, but most antivirus applications are configured for daily or weekly updates of the main program which help expand capabilities and allow for the recognition of new threats.
Firewall software is designed to protect against unwanted network communication on a computer. Malicious individuals sometimes attempt to access other people’s systems over a network connection to gain access to an individual’s private information or install malicious software. Firewall programs can recognize unauthorized communications and block them. Sometimes the software is set up with specific rules about the type of communication allowed, and in other cases, the rules can be user-defined with different levels of security for different situations.
In many cases, firewall and antivirus software packages can often be very complementary in how they work. For example, many viruses are designed to try to send messages to the Internet; distributing private information about a person’s browsing habits along with credit card numbers and other data to malicious individuals. A good firewall will recognize these kinds of attempts and block them, which can be useful in cases where the virus is too new for your antivirus program to recognize. Another situation where firewalls and antivirus software can work in tandem is when malicious individuals attempt to access a system over the network in order to plant a virus. In such cases, if someone gets through the firewall, antivirus software can act as backup protection.
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