Firewalls

When you have a connection to the Internet that is 'always on' like Broadband, it's important to install 'firewall' software. This will help prevent anyone from accessing your computer and files without your permission. You should also consider installing anti-virus software.

Without a firewall, your computer is operating under an "open door" policy. Bank account information. Passwords. Credit card numbers. Documents and photos that you don't want to share with the world. They are all available to anyone with bad intentions and basic computer skills. Hackers can get in, take what they want, and even leave open a "back door" so they can turn your computer into a "zombie" and use it to attack other computers.

Every minute that your computer is connected to the Internet, either through a dial-up (modem) connection or through a broadband (DSL or cable) service, it is at risk. In view of the 'always on' nature of ADSL, if you wish to be completely sure of keeping your computer records confidential, the only way to achieve absolute security is to hold such confidential files on a second, separate computer which is never connected to the internet.

A "Firewall" will deter most external attacks. Firewalls come in two varieties: Hardware & Software.

Hardware firewalls are usually more secure but cost a lot more than software. A firewall inspects each piece of information from your computer to the Internet and decides whether or not to allow it to pass to your computer. For example, a simple firewall might look at who initiated a data connection (was it your computer or an external machine that started the "conversation"?). If a remote machine initiated the "conversation", this could be a possible hacker attack and may be blocked completely by the Firewall.

For home and small office use, a software firewall may be good enough. Prices range from FREE to relatively inexpensive. ZoneAlarm is a popular and free firewall product that provides adequate protection for most home users.

More sophisticated products - ZoneAlarm Plus and ZoneAlarm Pro may be purchased for those with even more demanding security concerns.

Page last updated Friday, 07 November 2003