With the advancements in technology, primarily computers and the internet, and the increased accessibility to information of all types, users have more power with the internet than they have ever had before. There are some benefits that the internet can definitely offer, in terms of convenience, that have been unmatched when compared to traditional methods of getting tasks accomplished. There is a saying that reminds us that with great power, comes great responsibility. Some choose to ignore this and pursue a hobby or lifestyle of wreaking havoc on the computer systems of normal, everyday, law abiding computer users. This is where critical items like anti virus software, passwords, encryption, and especially firewalls come in to play. These advancements in technology have been developed to counter the attacks from the malicious programmers and hackers of the Internets "virtual world."

The Internet was very different in the 1980s, than it is today for several reasons. For one, the internet was a small community of users who shared files and information in, what was thought to be, a secure manner. There weren't websites, email programs, games, and the graphic user interfaces that we are accustomed to seeing today. The public didn't have the awareness of its existence and ISPs, or internet service providers, simply did not exist. In the early winter of 1988 the pre firewall era of file sharing, felt the first heavy blow from hackers and their virus attacks. At this time, those who had a vested interest in the Internet were keenly aware of how vulnerable they really were. It was in the aftermath that followed those events, that made the small group of users realize that some precautionary security measures were necessary to minimize future interruptions. As knowledge of and access to the Internet would grow, so would the potential for larger and more frequent disturbances.

The history of firewalls goes back several decades and begins with a physical, tangible barrier found in most buildings under new construction and in motor vehicles. The purpose of a traditional firewall has always been to slow the spread of flames, until they can be put out and/or until people can relocate themselves to safety. Internet and networking firewalls were designed with the same general idea in mind, but instead of actual fire having to go through the barrier, information has to pass through the same opening, regardless of if its coming in or going out. The focus on this relatively manageable space is much more realistic that managing shared data across a much broader area.

With this idea in place, a system of filters and monitoring devices can help to minimize unwanted information and visitors from entering a computer, via the Internet or through a network. The first models of internet firewalls were actually used in the field in the early 1990s with limited success, but nonetheless, internet security took a giant step in the right direction. The next generation of firewalls appeared a short time later and were more user-friendly and customizable to fit more specific needs. Today firewalls have been heavily designed around usability for the average, internet customer and are found with most internet services and they can take the form of a hardware of software application.

Firewalls are a category of security device and within this category, three distinctly different types exist. The different varieties of firewalls include packet filtering firewalls, circuit gateway firewalls, and application gateway firewalls. Packet filtering versions make decisions based on IP address and packet options. This data allows the firewall to determine whether packets of information are acceptable or not, based on some manual and event changed options. Circuit gateways grant authorization based on IP addresses and will not allow two separate networks connect. This would be a breach of the protected network's basic security, and make entry possible from users who are unknown to the primary core network affiliates. Application gateways actually read the incoming information at the level of application data. One fact worth observing for all of these firewalls is that 2 or more of these can be run concurrently to further toughen access from unwelcome outsiders. Firewalls provide good records for information flowing through them, regardless if its coming or going. Viruses, today, have little problem getting through a firewall because they hide in the packets of information and appear to be files and such that they are not.

For the last 20 years, computer firewalls have been on the front lines for internet protection. A problem had to develop, on the first working platform of the Internet, in order to stress the continuous need for security. Since that point, various styles and applications of firewalls have emerged which keep unwanted browsers out of places that they should not be going. Today, virus protection, passwords, encryption, and virtual private networks coupled with an advanced firewall,make Internet usage a lot safer for everyone.