Firewalls have historically been deployed to defend corporate assets, but recently, many companies have started to sell personal firewall software targeted at home users who are connected to the Internet around the clock via broadband cable or DSL connections. Although firewalls are powerful blocking tools, remember that anything intentionally allowed through the filter rules can be just as damaging as the blocked traffic. A firewall would not typically block this type of attack. For more on firewalls, go here . Encryption is used to protect the confidentiality of communications, such as email or credit card numbers, passing over the network.
Encryption protects private data in the event that an intruder gains physical access to a computer.
It's commonly used to protect the account database for your financial software package at home. Encryption offers varying degrees of protection, depending on the algorithm and key length used. In general, key lengths beyond 128 bits are currently considered fairly secure. This strength is available in most commercial software today, but due to varying encryption laws in different parts of the world, you may not be able to get the strongest encryption available in some instances. Ask your cable or satellite TV operator if TechTV is available in your area or contact your provider to request TechTV .