Difference between Firewall and Antivirus

“Cyber Security is a Shared Responsibility, and it Boils down to this: in Cyber Security, the more Systems we Secure, the more Secure we are” - Jeh Johnson

What would be your best defense in the face of an attack? I am sure your answer will depend on the nature of the attack as well as your understanding of the most appropriate defensive strategy which will be able to tackle the same. The same idea applies to the domain of Cyber Security. Given the expansive nature of the field, Cyber Attacks and Threats can be of diverse types. This means that it is important to have defensive mechanisms which will be suited to different forms of threatening situations. This is where the issue of Firewall vs. Antivirus becomes significant. Even though both the instruments help in ensuring security; they help in addressing this issue through different means. Thus, the difference between Antivirus and Firewall is very much a real one and needs to be carefully looked at.

There are many different ways of tackling Cyber Attacks. Conducting Penetration Testing in order to detect possible flaws and vulnerabilities in the system is one of them. If you wish to read more on the issue of Ethical Hacking, do read our blog on “Learn Ethical Hacking from Scratch: Know How”

➡In this blog, we shall try to look at the difference between Firewall and Antivirus, by understanding the fundamental idea behind each of the concept. Moreover, in order to make things simpler, we shall try to address the issue of Antivirus vs. Firewall, through a synoptic comparison table.

What is Firewall?

Functions of Firewall

Advantages of Firewall

What is Antivirus?

Functions of Antivirus

Advantages of Antivirus

What is the Difference between Firewall and Antivirus?

Firewall vs. Antivirus: A Look at the Comparison Table

Conclusion

What is Firewall?

A firewall operates as an obstacle between the Internet and a LAN (internal network and incoming traffic from external sources). It operates on the boundaries of a network, supervising network traffic and thereby blocking malicious traffic in the form of malware, viruses, worms and so on. It helps in managing inbound and outbound network traffic. Firewalls can be seen as quite a comprehensive form of Cyber protection which can be used to cover a network of computers along with the whole system of infrastructure and configuration by erecting a barrier against possible attacks.

There are three common types of firewalls:

Proxy Firewalls/Application Gateway: Network traffic is filtered at the Application level
Packet-filtering Firewalls/Screening Router: Packets are analyzed and are permitted to pass through a firewall only when they match an established security rule-set
Stateful Multilayer Inspection (SMLI) Firewall: Packets are filtered at the Transport, Application and Network layers. Comparison is made with known trusted packets

Functions of Firewall

Ensuring the Passage of Network Traffic from the Outside to the Inside and vice-versa through the Firewall
Performs the task of Packet Filtering
Detecting and Blocking attempts for Unauthorized Access
Preventing the Leakage of Sensitive Data and Information by restricting transfer of Confidential Files
Safeguards and Prevents the Modification of Crucial Data

Advantages of Firewall

Data Protection
Keeps Hackers at Bay
Monitors Network Traffic and Offers Security
Blocks Spyware and Promotes Privacy
Provides for Easy Installation

What is Antivirus?

Antivirus is crucial in addressing the needs of Cyber Security where Firewall falls short of doing the same and this provides for the crux of the issue of Antivirus vs. Firewall.

An antivirus is a software program which is installed in a system, helping to deal with different kinds of threats which might compromise the security of the network or the system. These threats can be in the form of malware, worms and viruses, spyware, Trojan horses or any other malicious and suspicious entity which has the potential to undermine the security of the system.

Functions of Antivirus

Detection: An antivirus performs the crucial role of identifying potential threats, viruses or even attempts being made to infect the system with malware.
Identification: After detecting a particular virus, the antivirus tries to identify the kind, type and characteristics of the virus.
Removal: By this function, the antivirus tries to remove the suspicious entity from the system. It seeks to remove and delete the infected file and consequently restore the original backup program/file.

Advantages of Antivirus

It offers protection against viruses and other forms of malicious threats
It helps in blocking susceptible ads and spam websites
It helps in protecting personal sensitive information
Antivirus can act as an important safeguard against the activities of hackers and cyber criminals
Prevents the transmission of viruses through scanning of removable devices like USBs
It acts as a police which scans all possible files which enters the system and blocks the infected ones
It offers protection from spyware and phishing attacks
It helps restricting activities on unauthorized websites which can be a potential getaway for Cyber Attacks

What is the Difference between Firewall and Antivirus?

The issue of Antivirus vs. Firewall is the issue of Security vs. Inhibition

Firewalls help in regulating network traffic by way of observing it for possible detection of malicious viruses and other forms of threats. However, such suspicious bodies can make their way to your system through other means as well, besides network traffic. This is where the role of the antivirus becomes important. By way of scanning all new entrants into the system, antivirus helps in obliterating and further segregating all possible corrupt and infected files. Moreover, firewalls simply block and inhibit cyber threats; antivirus deletes them for providing overall security.

Difference between Antivirus and Firewall in terms of their Basic Concept

The fundamental idea behind a firewall as well as an antirvirus is to provide security. However, a firewall is essentially designed to safeguard private and public networks from possible security attacks and threats. In contrast, an antivirus is a software program which protects the system essentially from internal threats.

Variance in Purpose

The objective of an antivirus program is to detect/identify, scan, prevent/block and remove/delete infected and malicious programs/files. The objective of firewall is the inspection of the flow of data from the Internet to the systems, in order to restrict any form of unauthorized access.

Firewall vs. Antivirus: A Look at the Comparison Table

In this section of the blog, we shall look at the difference between Firewall and Antivirus in a tabular format.

Firewall	Antivirus
It is a hardware/software security network designed to safeguard network and systems from Malicious Attacks and Unauthorized Access	It is a software utility program which is essentially designed to protect systems from malicious harmful entities which exist within the system
Primarily deals with External Threats	Deals with Internal as well as External Threats
The objective of a firewall is to monitor network traffic	The objective of an antivirus is to scan, detect, prevent and delete infected files and programs
One of the loopholes is that it can provide for counter attack in the form of Router Attack and IP Spoofing	Counter attacks are not possible
It inspects threats from incoming packets	It inspects threats from susceptive malicious software
It is relatively more costly and complex than a normal antivirus program	It is relatively cheaper and cost-effective
It works at the network protocol level and seeks to safeguard the entire network from harmful data packets	It works at the level of individual systems seeking to protect it from all sorts of malware and spyware
It is an outer layer of security which can sometimes be bypassed as in the case of connecting devices like USBs	It results in scanning of all new entrants into the system
Can be employed in hardware as well as software	Can be implemented only in software
One of the shortcomings of firewall is that it is incapable of providing protection against internal threats and also in the face of those malicious bodies which somehow pass through the firewall barrier	One of the shortcomings of an antivirus program is that it cannot check read-only files

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Conclusion

It is evident that the issue of Firewall vs. Antivirus is not necessarily of one against the other. It would be naive to suggest that one is essentially superior over the other in all respects. Both the Cyber Security mechanisms serve different objectives and are meant to cater to different forms of security needs. Thus, the difference between Firewall and Antivirus is largely in terms of their fundamentals and the differing form of security that each of them provides.

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