What is a Firewall?
Even if you’ve never heard of the term
“Firewall” as it’s related to the Internet, you still might find this
months article interesting. If you have heard it before, then you still
may not know much about them, other than that they exist. This month, I’ll
try to explain what they are, and who needs one.
A firewall is simply a
method of defense for your computer(s) that prevents unwanted intruders or
“hackers” from infiltrating your computer. Hackers randomly search the
Internet for vulnerable PC’s by sending out “pings”. That’s sort of like
randomly dialing phone numbers. Computers that respond become potential
targets. Believe me, hackers do exist and their numbers are growing.
Do I need a firewall?
Any computer that is online can be hacked at
any time, but dialup (phone line) connections are really pretty safe.
There are certain settings called IP Addresses that change every single time you dial up and
log on, making it very unlikely for you to be a target. Therefore, I would
say that if you have a dialup line, just turning on your free Windows XP
Firewall is probably enough protection. If you are running fully updated
Windows XP SP2, then your firewall gets turned on automatically. If
you're not running Windows XP, then at least get the free version of
Zone Alarm. It's been rated #1 by most of the PC magazines.
High speed DSL and Cable connections though are another
story. Computers that are always online 24/7 are much more “at risk”.
Many people think that since they do not
keep credit card numbers or sensitive financial information on their
computer, then they need not be concerned about a “hacker attack”.
Well, hackers can do more than just read
your files (which is actually quite difficult). They can compromise
your PC with viruses, worms, or even just spyware. (Spyware is software
that tracks your internet use, and reports it back to someone to be sold
for marketing purposes, and it’s getting quite popular.)
There have been more than 125 viruses, worms
etc. discovered in the last 30 days (really!) and viruses have done untold
harm to tens of thousands of computers costing hundreds of thousands of
dollars worth of damage, not to mention the lost productivity. That alone
is reason enough to pay attention to these “cyber-vandals”. For home and
small business users, there are two main types of firewall to be concerned
with, a software firewall, or a hardware firewall.
A software firewall runs on your computer,
and monitors all activity. It reports back to you often and asks you to
make certain “permission” decisions based on the information it’s giving
you. It blocks unwanted activity, and remembers the decisions you make for
the next time.
The down side though to a software firewall
is that the information it gives you can be a little confusing to a new
user. Plus, it always runs in the Windows background and can use your
valuable system resources. If you have a computer with at least 256 megs
of ram, and you're properly managing your Windows startups
According to nearly all of the PC magazines,
review sites, etc. Zone Alarm is the best one out there. You
can get it at
Zone Labs.
One IMPORTANT word of caution about Zone Alarm – If you ever decide to
UNinstall it, make sure it is not running at the time. Close it before you
uninstall it.
For a hardware firewall, consider getting
something called a Cable/DSL router. If you are an online bargain hunters,
you can probably find one for as low as $60 with various mail–in rebates,
or $200 or higher in certain higher priced environments. There are some
brands that are better firewalls than others, and for the record, I have a
Linksys router, both at home and at work, and love it.
After the initial setup, you’ll never know you even have one.
No informational reports, no choices to
make, just set it, and forget it. It allows you to share one Internet
connection over multiple computers too. The down side to hardware routers
is that they do require some knowledge to set up. They come with
directions and a tech support phone number too though, so I’d still
recommend it.
As “high speed” or “broadband” Internet
connections are becoming more and more common at homes and businesses, not
having any sort of firewall protection is like always leaving your car
unlocked. Sooner or later, maybe weeks, months or even years, they’re
probably gonna get ya’.
Related site:
A common way to prevent identity theft is to use a
locking mailbox
to ensure that nobody gets ahold of your private documents...
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