Protect Yourself:
Viruses, Spyware and Other Nasties for 2005

Firewalls....

So you have an Anti-Virus application running, your e-mail is now secure, and it's configured to scan files on creation. You've installed Spybot Search and Destroy and Ad-aware to protect your system from any Malware that your system comes across in the World Wide Web. You have even turned on the Internet Explorer protection features in Spybot Search and Destroy.

What other products can protect your data and hardware?

Firewalls!

A firewall is the personal computer’s first line of defense against attacks on your network, be that a single machine, or a corporate LAN. The firewall handles all incoming and outgoing network traffic and filters that traffic, so that only the data you requested arrives at your machine. The firewall keeps out all of the bad data coming from zombie or robot machines looking to infect your system.

How do firewalls protect?

Let’s say you want to surf the Web. You open a Web browser and type in the address of a page you want to see (Google, for example). You sent the request, you want to see that page, so the firewall allows that data (the Web page) to come through. But if a user on another network suddenly tries to telnet to your machine without you knowing it, the firewall would drop that incoming connection. Depending on the firewall and its configuration, the firewall might even alert you that someone is trying to access your machine without permission.

Protection doesn’t have to come at a premium

Firewalls are your friend. However, they range in price. But we have found two free software-based firewalls that perform the most basic of functions and provide the protection you need while surfing for no cost.

Zone Alarm - Personal Edition

Sygate Personal Firewall

Both Zone Alarm and Sygate are software-based firewalls that provide extensive help menus, include log capabilities that allow you to review what's been happening on or around your machine and will protect your system in their default configurations. Use only one; however, because running multiple firewalls on your computer can work against you rather then for you.

Windows includes a built-in firewall

Another option for low-cost firewall protection is the built-in firewall in the Microsoft Windows operating system. If you have Windows XP Service Pack2, the built-in firewall is on by default. If you still run Service Pack 1 or an earlier version of Windows, you must manually turn it on. If your version of Windows is rather old, it may not include the firewall.

If you would like help enabling the firewall in Windows XP, visit Microsoft’s Security At Home “Protect Your PC” site.

Review documentation before installing any firewall

To get the most from your firewall, you will need to review the documentation that accompanies it to ensure that all of your software is compatible with the firewall. Certain applications might need to be given permission to access the Internet in order to maintain normal operations, such as automatic updates. Taking time now to review the documentation may mean saving yourself some frustration later.