7:25 PM
Admin
Inexpensive software can test your software inside and out.
Most people know computer security is important. Firewall software comes preinstalled on many computers as well as modems and routers but, with as many as 65,535 open ports on your computer, how do you know that the firewall is working effectively?
- All firewall testing software performs the same handful of functions. The software ensures your software applications are properly configured and the right ports are closed. Closing all ports would make it impossible to use the Internet. The software may also test various ports to see if a signal can get through. This is especially true of external software tests.
- Internal testing is done by software installed on your computer or server. It looks at the setup of firewall and other security software and tries to detect potential vulnerabilities. Testing software is available from a number of providers and can cost from $30 to $80 (as of January 2011). Some free software is also available for open source, Linux systems.
- Free, external firewall testing is also available from numerous companies. Most of these tests function by testing your Internet connection ports from the outside. In some cases, they may create and delete test files simply to see if they can. If you use this testing, make sure it is done through a reliable company.
