Security

Fire Walls

A firewall is a dedicated appliance or software on a (your) computer that regulates access to and from your computer.

The firewall will inspect incoming and outgoing traffic and based on a set of rules and will, allow or deny traffic access.

There are two basic zones, with varying levels of security and trust, Internet zone (lowest level) and, Internal network zone, (sharing network between office computers or home computers), highest level.

You will also get varying levels of trust, levels 1, 2 and 3, (3 being the highest).

All firewall software is supplied with a default setting of security, but those that do not allow you to adjust the security setting are more trouble than they are worth and not worth installing

If the firewall software does not allow you to re-configure the default settings or have limited re-configuration setting then they are best left alone. There is some excellent firewall software on the market and they are all roughly about the same cost.

If you want more in depth information on firewalls, then click here. Steve Gibons, the gentleman that wrote it is considered to be, the expert in this field and he knows what he is talking about.

There are certain names that are synonymous with security and quality and those names will keep appearing on this web site. I make no apologies for mentioning these products, my security and your security is very important.

My modem is a Linksys modem and has a built in Firewall. It has a wireless function; however for extra security I do not use the wireless connection, my system is hard wired. This means that my modem is connected to my system by cables. It is not as neat and tidy as a wireless system, but I can live with that as I get the extra security.

When choosing a software firewall it is important that you have confidence in the product. My personal choice is Zone Alarm security suite. Not only does it have a firewall but it also has integrated, anti virus and anti spyware scanners.

You will find that most of the better ones AVG (Grisoft), Kaspersky LavaSoft, Norton(Symantec), MacAfee, have the same options. It is basically down to which one you consider to be the best for you.

No firewall can offer you 100% security, if the CIA, NAASA and the American government cannot stop people hacking into their computers then we can only do the best that we can. Given enough time a hacker will eventually hack into your system if they know that it is there.

When choosing firewall soft ware it is better to get one that offers Stealth Mode.
Stealth mode is when your computer does not respond when it is, “Pinged,” by another computer. When your computer does not respond to a “Ping,” the other computer is fooled into thinking that there is no computer available.

Also remember, that a firewall is only as good as the person using it. If you cannot download a program, software, music, photographs or videos from the net and you are asked by the sender to drop your Firewall. Ask your self one question. Why?