What is the primary function of a firewall in a computer network?

Correct answer: Preventing unauthorized access. A firewall monitors and filters network traffic to block unauthorized access.

Background: Firewalls can be hardware, software, or both.

• Data-driven attack: A firewall protects against attacks; it does not carry them out.
• Fire attack: A “fire attack” is not a network function.
• None of these: “None of these” is incorrect because preventing unauthorized access is correct.

Did you know? The word comes from the walls built in buildings to stop fire from spreading.

Memory trick: Firewall = security guard of the network.