Firewall

noun; also verb (transitive)

/ˈfaɪ.ər.wɔːl/

A network security system that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on configurable security rules, acting as a barrier between a trusted internal network and untrusted external networks.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

A credible regulatory architecture must erect a firewall between the executive arms of the State and the institutions meant to audit them, so that the autonomy of bodies like the CAG and the Election Commission is not eroded by political expediency.

Synonyms

barrierbulwarksafeguardpartitionbuffercordon

Antonyms

conduitbreachgatewayvulnerability

🌱 Word Family

firewall (n/v), firewalled (adj), firewalling (v pres.p)

🔡 Root

Coined/Modern: English compound fire + wall; computing metaphor for network security barrier (c. 1990)

📜 Etymology

Compound of English fire + wall, originally referring to a fireproof barrier used to prevent the spread of fire in buildings (earliest use in the late 16th century); the computing sense emerged around 1990 as a metaphor for network security.

🧠 Memory Hook

Picture a literal wall of fire that nothing hostile can cross — a "fire + wall" that contains danger on one side and keeps your domain safe on the other.

🔬 Science & Technology 📖 Seen in: IT, Cybersecurity & Defence Technology...

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