Differences between Firewall and Antivirus

In today’s digital world, protecting your computer and network from cyber threats is more important than ever. Two essential tools that help in this protection are Firewalls and Antivirus software. Although they are often mentioned together, they serve different purposes.

Let’s understand what each of them does and how they differ from one another.

What is a Firewall?

A Firewall is a security system that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic. It acts as a barrier between your internal network and the external internet. Firewalls are designed to block unauthorized access while allowing legitimate communication. They can be hardware-based, software-based, or a combination of both. Firewalls are commonly used to protect networks from threats like hackers, malware, and unauthorized data access.

What is Antivirus?

Antivirus is a software application that scans, detects, and removes malicious software (malware) from your computer. This includes viruses, worms, Trojans, spyware, and ransomware. Antivirus programs use signature-based detection, behavior monitoring, and heuristic analysis to identify threats. They are essential for maintaining the health of your individual computer system by preventing malware infections and removing harmful programs.

Firewall vs Antivirus

	Firewall	Antivirus
Purpose	Controls network traffic and blocks unauthorized access	Detects and removes malware from the system
Functionality	Monitors data flow between your device and the internet	Scans files and applications for malicious content
Type	Can be hardware or software	Software application
Protection Scope	Protects the network perimeter	Protects individual devices
Examples of Threats Blocked	Hackers, intrusions, unauthorized connections	Viruses, worms, spyware, Trojans
Real-time Monitoring	Monitors and filters network traffic in real-time	Scans system files regularly or on-demand