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6.4. Firewall

The Firewall is a system that enforces an access control policy between two or more networks by

blocking/permitting traffic. The Firewall contains a set of rules that protect the internal network from

attacks originating outside (typically from the Internet) and controls all communication on every

single network port. The communication is evaluated according to the defined rules, and then either

allowed or forbidden. If the Firewall recognizes any intrusion attempts, it “blocks” the attempt and

does not allow the intruder access to the computer.

Firewall is configured to allow or deny internal/external communication (both ways, in and out)

through defined ports, and for defined software applications. For example, the firewall could be

configured to only permit web data to flow in and out using Microsoft Explorer. Any attempt to

transmit web data by any other browser would be blocked.

Firewall protects your personally-identifiable information from being sent from your computer without

your permission. It controls how your computer exchanges data with other computers on the Internet

or local network. Within an organization, Firewall also protects individual computers from attacks

initiated by internal users on other computers in the network.

Computers that are not protected by the Firewall become an easy target to computer hackers

and data thefts.

Recommendation: Generally it is not recommended that you use more than one firewall on an

individual computer. The security of the computer is not enhanced if you install more firewalls. It is

more probable that some conflicts between these two applications will occur. Therefore we

recommend that you use only one firewall on your computer and deactivate all others, thus

eliminating the risk of possible conflict and any problems related to this.

6.4.1. Firewall Principles

In AVG Internet Security 2012, the Firewall controls all traffic on every network port of your

computer. Based on the defined rules, Firewall evaluates applications that are either running on

your computer (and want to connect to the Internet/local network), or applications that approach your

computer from outside trying to connect to your PC. For each of these applications the Firewall

then either allows or forbids the communication on the network ports. By default, if the application is

unknown (i.e. has no defined Firewall rules), the Firewall will ask you if you wish to allow or block

the communication attempt.

AVG Firewall is not intended for server platforms!

What AVG Firewall can do:

Allow or block communication attempts of known applications automatically, or ask you for

confirmation

Use complete profiles with predefined rules, according to your needs

Switch profiles automatically when connecting to various networks, or using various network