Firewalla: Security Starts With You First

Many of you have asked us how Firewalla can protect your cyberspace. Instead of just giving you tips and how-to's on features, we want to emphasize the following first:

Cybersecurity starts not with technology, but you! Everything depends on your security awareness. Firewalla (and other technologies) are here to support you. 

Nothing can protect you if you leave your doors open or don't have a habit of locking your doors.

Think Before You Click

This is the best way to prevent malware/phishing attacks. Do you really need to click that link? Do you know the sender? Check the 'from' email address and see if it's normal...     

If you accidentally click on something, antivirus software or network IDS should be able to detect problems. For example, your box can capture all network requests and check them against our security intel. If something's suspicious, Firewalla can block or at least alert you of potential problems. If a cyberattack doesn't rely on the network, your antivirus software should be able to detect the problem.  

Think Before Giving Personal Information

Use common sense, and give as little information as possible to online services. Watch out for unusual requests. If someone's asking for your birthday, do you really want to give them that info? Always ask if the information being requested is necessary and reasonable.

Keep Your Software Up to Date

Software is written by engineers, and engineers are not perfect. Software patches and updates often fix these problems (bugs, vulnerabilities...). Keeping your device up to date is very important. Modern software like Firewalla will automatically update itself without disturbing your experience. 

Use Smart and Strong Passwords

Passwords must be strong to make them harder for people or machines to guess, and they should not be shared widely. Use different passwords for different places. For example, your email account should have one password, and your Ring camera should have another. This way, if your email is hacked, they can't get into your Ring camera.

Choose Multifactor Authentication (MFA) when available. MFA allows you to authenticate using another device when logging in from an unknown or new device. This helps prove that you are the true owner of the account and prevents hacker access in case your password is compromised.

The Firewalla system uses PKI to authenticate access to the device. It is a much stronger authentication mechanism than just an ID/password. The private key lives inside your phone and is fully secured by your phone's hardware.