Is a software firewall running on a machine less secure than a completely separate hardware firewall peripheral?
In an “absolute” sense I suppose that no software solution could be as safe as having a separate “appliance” acting only as a firewall. However the least expensive of those costs about $350 US, whereas there are extremely effective software firewalls that are completely free. If you’re asking whether software firewalls can be in some fashion “penetrated” or compromised by external software, the answer is absolutely not. Due to the way these packages operate they are invulnerable to external attack and they are more easily updated as new types of attacks are discovered. Having said that, I should confess that prior to bringing this ShieldsUP! site online I spent more than $5,000 for an industrial strength, stand-alone, hardware-based firewall appliance. I knew this site would come under significant attack by Internet “baddies” who would want to bring it down. So, I felt that going all the way with Internet security made sense for me. But, if I were a typical user with a cable modem or D
