What is Port 80 At A Physical Level, Security Questions
I'm trying to understand networking better. Anyone who has a good understanding of this stuff, I sure could use some help with a few questions. Very general answers are fine, but specifics would be nice.
Is there actually a physical place named port 80 where things get sent? Or, is it more like a number that identifies specific data destined for an specific type of application?
If the later, what Linux/Unix application first receives the data from the Internet? Is this the application that scans it for what port it's destined for, if not what is the application chain involved in this process?
What does a network card/modem do to data from the Internet? Does it modify it, and if so, how and why?
If a port is blocked, does this just mean the application that sends the data is only ignoring any data destined for that port? Is this what a firewall does?
Is it possible to create an Arduino device that is connected between the network card/modem and the computer to never allow anything other than specified ports to be used? Would this be a more secure choice than a software firewall?
I have heard ports can be opened by attackers. Is this really possible? If so, how is this done and how can victims defend against it? Is it necessary for an open port to be used to access an application that open a blocked port? Or, can a port be unblocked without an existing port connection?