Jack Wallen / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET
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ZDNET key takeaways
Linux firewalls can be very complicated.
With the help of a GUI, firewall configuration is easier.
These GUIs are easy to install and free to use.
A firewall is often the heart and soul of desktop security.
With a firewall, you can block or allow traffic in and/or out of your computer. Of course, it's the incoming traffic that you need to be most concerned about. You don't want some ne'er-do-well to see port 25 open on your PC and use it as a way to get into your system and do bad things. To that end, your firewall is the way you shut those ports down.
Also: 6 simple cybersecurity rules to live by
Back in the old days, the Linux firewall was a very complicated piece of the puzzle. To use a Linux firewall in those early days, you had to learn the very complicated iptables system. Suffice it to say, that was not easy. I always had to keep copious notes on how to use iptables, and sometimes it even stumped me.
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