Many people have no idea about the differences between antivirus and firewall. As we know it, antivirus and firewall are the two functions that help to give protection and security to our systems. However, understanding the fundamental difference between the two is very important.
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What Is the Difference between Firewall and Antivirus?
A firewall acts as a barrier for incoming traffic and controls it to protect the system. The antivirus, on the contrary, helps to protect the system against internal attacks of malicious viruses and files. Firewall and Antivirus are a part of cybersecurity that helps to protect the system. However, there is—a significant difference in the roles of the two security systems and how they function.
What is the Definition of Antivirus Software
Before knowing the differences between the two security systems, it is essential to understand what they are. Now, what is antivirus software? It is a mechanism of cybersecurity which various companies, Personal computers, and offices use to protect their system.
The primary function of the software is to spot, scan, and inhibit any skeptical software and files from entering the system. The antiviruses help to prevent attacks or any damage to the system by separating the files or deleting them. Moreover, there is various antivirus software that can detect susceptibility, examines regular activities, and control internal traffic.
What is a Firewall?
The standard approach to keep your computer assets safe from external threats is a firewall. It helps to clear the IP packets coming from the computer networks. A firewall is the best way to keep local computers safe from any network threats and use a vast area network.
The firewall makes sure that any traffic moving from outside to inside or vice-versa must pass through it. It only allows authorized traffic to transfer, and a trusted system in providing security makes it robust against transferring files.
Difference between Firewall and Antivirus
- One of the fundamental differences between antivirus and firewall is in the implementation of the roles. You can employ a firewall through both hardware and software. On the contrary, the antivirus can only be used via software.
- The type of security provided by both firewall and antivirus are quite different. Packet filtering, IP blocking are some of the deposits that the firewall offers. The antivirus helps to give application like security by detecting the worms and viruses and removing them from the system.
- A firewall is like a security system that acts as a wall that filters, scans, and monitors the incoming and outgoing data and files to keep the system safe from external threats. Simultaneously, the antivirus helps to scan and look for the infected files and remove them from the system.
- The two security systems have different functions. There are two kinds of threats to a network. One that acts as the internal threat and another as external. While antivirus deals with internal and external threats, the firewall only detects and deals with external threats. The antivirus can also scan storage devices like flash drives, which are not possible for the firewall to perform.
- Once the antivirus helps remove the viruses and worms, there is no reason to wait for counterattacks. However, since the firewall works on external threats, there is a chance of spoofing and rooting attacks.
These are some of the differences between antivirus and firewall.