Firewall - Hot Stuff for Stomping out Spyware, Malware and Adware
Firewalls are software programs for your computer that are comparable to exterior doors to your house or apartment since they keep potential intruders out. What if you had no door and when no one was home a thief robbed you of anything of value including personal information? That is probably the time you’d kick yourself for not having a door! A fire wall is the “door” to that offers computer internet security and if you don’t have one, well, enjoy your time with your computer because it won’t last long.
According to AOL, the average computer that connects to the internet using a high-speed connection has a lifespan of two-weeks before getting bogged down with viruses, spyware and other junk, to the point that it becomes unusable. That is, unless firewall and virus protection are used.
Imagine if your house didn’t have doors and instead of checking each home on foot, a thief could just send out a signal worldwide that would list the addresses of houses without doors that could easily be robbed. On the Internet hackers use malicious code such as viruses to go out and find vulnerable computers, except instead of reporting back to the creator about people with no computer internet security, the viruses can attack on the spot!
With a firewall, your computer will not be detected by viruses. Many people without protection have a false sense of security and think it is too much work for a hacker to figure they are personally not using a firewall. It is really quite easy – and requires little or no effort on the part of the hacker. To see well your computer would hold up to an attack perform a free internet security test (perfectly harmless) at AuditMyPC.com.
Click here to check your firewall and security settings at AuditMyPC.com
Some of the actions taken by viruses, spyware, malware and adware are simply enough to annoy you by changing your browser settings or adding a new toolbar. Without the computer internet security offered by a firewall you could also encounter malicious programs that delete files, steal personal information or slow your computer down to the point it’s unusable.
Does Windows Include a Firewall?
Windows users will want to upgrade their system to Windows XP Service Pack 2, which comes with a firewall that is turned on by default. If you are already running XP you have the firewall, but if you haven’t already done so, make sure to install the Service Pack 2 which offers more solid computer internet security. It can be found at Microsoft’s update site.
Click here to read more about how to update Windows.
If you are running Windows 98 or 2000 and would rather not upgrade to XP you can install a software firewall on each computer you have. If you are unsure which version of Windows you have go to <start> and then click <run> then type in winver and click <ok>. This will tell you what version you are running and will let XP users know if Service Pack 2 is installed. Mac users can either purchase firewall software such as DoorStop, or upgrade to Mac OS X which has a built-in firewall.
To get the most complete protection for your Windows computer, you should be running one of the Internet Security packages, such as Norton Internet Security or PC-Cillin Internet Security. These programs generally include an antivirus, firewall, antispam and, in some cases, an anti-spyware program.
Personally, I use the PC-Cillin program from Trend Micro. I’ve used Norton’s and McAfee’s software as well, but the PC-Cillin program has been the most thorough. I have had a couple of virus infections that were not found by anything except PC-Cillin. It also includes a couple of extra features that I haven’t seen in any of the other programs:
- Anti-phishing. The term phishing means fake emails and websites that are made to look like they came from your bank, eBay, Paypal or any number of other websites that require your personal information. The phishing scam tries to trick you into logging into their fake site with your personal information, which they can then steal and use however they want. PC-Cillin helps to protect you from these scams.
- Home Network Control. This is really only an advantage if you have more than one computer hooked up together into a network. If you do, this will help you to control the PC-Cillin software on all your computers.