The products used for monitoring a network can also be used to detect some incorrectly configured equipment in the network. There are serveral classes of products available that can be used in protecting users and networks from malicious attacks. The major types are listed below. The products used for monitoring a network can also be used to detect some incorrectly configured equipment in the network. The better firewall products also include intrusion detection and logging to capture break-in attempts by malicious users.
Firewalls come in the form of software, hardware, or a combination of both.
Software firewalls only protect the computer they are installed on, while hardware firewalls provide greater protection for multiple computers on a local area network. Encryption is also used in virtual software and is widely available at low or no cost. Firewalls can protect against certain types of attacks, but they typically can not detect viruses that are sent as attachments to files. There are many virus detection programs available which can monitor all files, inputs and outputs, downloads, program executions, email communications, and other system-related activities. When a virus is detected, the program usually notifies the user and gives him the option to clean or delete the infected file before further damage can occur.