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| Have You Considered Using a Personal Firewall? |
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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,
in large part due to the many vulnerabilities that exist in Microsoft products
as well as improper system configuration. You probably also know that updated
anti-virus software and following the LBNL Computer Protection Program's
guidelines for securing
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 the other -- that are scaled down to protect individual systems instead of entire networks. Most fundamentally they filter out dangerous incoming network traffic (e.g., attempts to connect to vulnerability-prone services such as the File Transfer Protocol) and usually also 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. he 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 is already a built-in Internet Connection Firewall that by default is up and running.) The three most widely used free personal firewalls (all for Windows systems)
are: The four best selling commercial personal firewalls (all for Windows
systems) are: Other personal firewalls for Windows systems include: Deerfield Personal Firewall Personal firewalls for Macintoshes are also available. They include: Mac Care Unit
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