ZyXEL Communications ZyWALL 2 Series User Manual

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ZyWALL 2 Series User’s Guide 
Firewalls 
10-3 
 
Figure 10-1 ZyWALL Firewall Application  
10.4   Denial of Service 
Denials of Service (DoS) attacks are aimed at devices and networks with a connection to the Internet. Their 
goal is not to steal information, but to disable a device or network so users no longer have access to network 
resources. The ZyWALL is pre-configured to automatically detect and thwart all known DoS attacks. 
10.4.1 Basics 
Computers share information over the Internet using a common language called TCP/IP. TCP/IP, in turn, is a 
set of application protocols that perform specific functions. An “extension number”, called the "TCP port" or 
"UDP port" identifies these protocols, such as HTTP (Web), FTP (File Transfer Protocol), POP3 (E-mail), 
etc. For example, Web traffic by default uses TCP port 80.  
When computers communicate on the Internet, they are using the client/server model, where the server 
"listens" on a specific TCP/UDP port for information requests from remote client computers on the network. 
For example, a Web server typically listens on port 80. Please note that while a computer may be intended 
for use over a single port, such as Web on port 80, other ports are also active. If the person configuring or 
managing the computer is not careful, a hacker could attack it over an unprotected port.    
Some of the most common IP ports are: