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Yes, that does indeed help!
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What does the &quot;state&quot; of a TCP/IP packet have to do with whether it is from a user-requested web site, or from a hacker trying to gain access to a client computer, with reagrd to the &quot;stateful packet inspection&quot; that presumably only hardware firewalls are capable of?
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What does the "state" of a TCP/IP packet have to do with whether it is from a user-requested web site, or from a hacker trying to gain access to a client computer, with reagrd to the "stateful packet inspection" that presumably only hardware firewalls are capable of?

stateful packet inspection -- relation to clients' computer security

Hardware-based firewalls provide more sophisticated protection for inbound and outbound traffic than the simple Windows software firewall or the basic NAT firewalls found in routers. These devices implement techniques such as stateful packet inspection, deep packet inspection, and content filtering; and may include built-in antivirus and anti-malware protection.