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Have you considered using a personal
firewall?
It should
be no surprise to you that many bad things constantly happen
to systems connected to the Internet due to virus and worm
infections, hacker attacks, Trojan Horse programs planted
in systems, and so forth. The threat of security-related loss
and/or damage is particularly high in Windows systems due
in large part to the many vulnerabilities that exist in Microsoft
products as well as to improper system configuration. You
probably also know that using updated antivirus software,
and following the Berkeley Lab Computer Protection Program's
guidelines for securing systems at http://www.lbl.gov/ITSD/Security/systems
can drastically improve your system's chances of surviving
if it is attacked.
Because
of the growing number and severity of Internet-related security
threats, users are increasingly turning to personal firewalls
to protect their systems. Personal firewalls are firewalls—security
barriers between networks to protect one network from attacks
originating from another—that are scaled down to protect
individual systems instead of entire networks. Fundamentally,
they filter out dangerous incoming network traffic (e.g.,
attempts to connect to vulnerability-prone services, such
as the File Transfer Protocol) and also usually log all traffic
so that you can review it to determine how your system has
fared against attacks. Most personal firewalls allow you to
customize their configuration so that only the particular
types of traffic you desire can reach your system. Many personal
firewalls also block attempts to plant Trojan Horse programs
and others types of malicious code, such as malicious Java
applets.
Although
personal firewalls are useful in improving the security of
virtually any Windows or Macintosh system, they are especially
useful if a system connects via DSL or cable modem. Why? For
one thing, these types of connections make it especially easy
for attackers to spot your computer, and snoop on its activities.
The main limitation of most personal firewalls is that depending
on how they are configured, they may slow down your computer
somewhat. The Computer Protection Program strongly urges you
to consider using a personal firewall if your system runs
Windows 9X, ME, NT, or 2000. (Note that if your system runs
Windows XP, there already exists a built-in Internet connection
firewall that, by default, is up and running.)
Firewall
Resources
Windows
The three most widely used free personal firewalls (all for Windows systems)
are:
Sygate Personal Firewall (http://soho.sygate.com/free/default.php)
ZoneAlarm (http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/home.jsp)
Kerio Personal Firewall (http://www.kerio.com)
The four best-selling commercial personal firewalls (all for Windows systems)
are:
BlackICE PC Protection (http://www.networkice.com/)
Symantec Norton Personal Firewall (www.symantec.com/sabu/nis/npf/)
Sygate Pro (http://www.sygate.com/swat/products/pspf_ov.htm)
ZoneAlarm Pro (http://www.zonelabs.com/store/application?namespace=zls_
main&origin=global.jsp&event=link.skuList&&zl_catalog_view_id=201)
Other personal firewalls for Windows systems include:
Deerfield Personal Firewall (http://dpf.deerfield.com/)
Freedom Personal Firewall (http://www.freedom.net/products/firewall/)
HackTracer (http://www.rocketdownload.com/)
Look'n'Stop Personal Firewall (http://www.looknstop.com/En/decouvrir.htm)
McAfee Personal Firewall (http://www.mcafee.com/myapps/firewall/ov_firewall.asp)
OutPost Firewsall (http://www.agnitum.com/products/outpost/)
PC Viper (http://www.pcviper.com/)
Privacyware (http://www.privacyware.com/)
Sphinx Personal Firewall (http://www.securius.com/Links/Firewalls/Personal_Firewalls/)
Storm Watch (http://www.okena.com/areas/products/products_stormwatch.html)
TermiNet Personal Firewall (http://www.terminet.co.za/)
Tiny Personal Firewall (http://www.tinysoftware.com)
VirusMD (http://www.virusmd.com/products/firewall.php)
Macintosh
Personal firewalls for Macintosh systems are also available. They include:
Intego NetBarrier (http://www.intego.com/netbarrier/)
Mac Care Unit (http://www.hallogram.com/maccareunit/)
Symantec Norton Personal Firewall for Macs (http://www.symantec.com/sabu/nis/npf_mac/)
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