Firewall Protection?

Anytime you're connected to the Internet your PC is exposed to the whole world. If it is not protected properly, crackers can detect the PC, probe it for vulnerabilities, exploit them to gain access to your machine and either openly wreak havoc by stealing and/or deleting data, or secretly plant malicious code that turns your PC into a zombie to be part of an attack on somebody's server or network. This issue is especially important for PCs with a highspeed connection to the Internet via DSL or cable modems because they are prime targets for crackers.

To find out how vulnerable your machine is, visit this excellent web site that offers some online tools to test your machine's security. Open your browser, go to http://grc.com/default.htm and click on "Shield's UP!". Read the information on this page, then click "Test My Shields!" and "Probe My Ports!". These tests check for obvious vulnerabilities of your PC and you might be surprised at the results. Chances are you have a number of open and/or visible ports that can make your machine a target for crackers.

You can protect your machine by closing these security holes with the help of a program called a firewall. Firewall software monitors your Internet connection and filters all traffic to keep undesired traffic out and only allows legitimate traffic through. There are a number of software firewalls available on the Internet and in stores. The one we recommend is ZoneLab's Zone Alarm. You can download a free version (for personal use) from ZoneLab's web site at http:///www.zonelabs.com. Note that you should only have one firewall program installed and operational at a time to avoid conflicts between them.

After installing Zone Alarm, go back and perform another Shields UP! Test and Port Probe. You should see a big difference and find that all tested ports are now closed and in stealth mode.

Since Steve Gibson did an excellent job at explaining firewalls, the tests, and the dangers, and the topic is beyond the scope of this article, we'll refrain from going more into detail at this point, but you are encouraged to read more about this fascinating topic at http://grc.com/su-explain.htm.

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