Comparison: Opensouce Linux / OpenBSD firewall vs proprietary firewall

Posted by Vivek Gite [Last updated: February 19, 2007]

Have you ever wondered how the Opensouce firewalls such as Linux Iptables/smoothwall, OpenBSD PF compare to proprietary firewall solution such as Cisco PIX? This article trough some light on Hardware Versus Software Firewalls:
According to estimates, an unprotected Windows computer system connected to the Internet could be compromised within twelve minutes. In light of this, the need for computer security has expanded in the last few years. Today, it is just as necessary for home users to secure personal computers as it is for businesses to secure office computers. In order to gain security benefits like those many businesses possess, home network security often utilizes the same models. The difference, however, has been that most home users do not have the financial resources for top of the line security equipment. This has led many home users to begin using security tools such as freeware firewalls and over-the-counter hardware firewall solutions.

This raises a question. How do the freeware firewalls compare to expensive, all-in-one firewall solutions such as the Cisco PIX? The goal for this project, then, is to compare the Cisco PIX with two freeware firewalls.

Read the comparison of the three firewalls.

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