Without a Firewall on your computer system you are very vulnerable to the execution
of malicious code being activated on your computer without your knowledge. The
combination of running on a operating system that is not patched and without
a firewall is asking for a complete host of problems. Not to mention revealing
sensitive information about your computer as your stumble your way around the
internet. Firewalls basically prevent connections to ports on your computer. Port numbers range from 0 to 65536, but only ports numbers 0 to 1024 are reserved for privileged services and designated as well-known ports. Ports will accept communications and send information from your computer to other computers without firewall software being installed, most of the time this is harmless but there are applications designed to seek out vulnerabilities in ports and attempt to gain access to these ports. Firewalls also block applications from using vulnerabilities to install and execute applications on your computer. Some firewalls use stealth features that basically hide you as your online to prevent other systems from requesting information about your location, almost like a transparent hidden connection as your surf online. Windows XP Service Pack Two was MicroSoft's first attempt to secure ports on your computer and prevent information from being leaked over the internet. The firewall is located in the Control panel simply activate it, this will provide basically all necessary port blocking and security needs for your online surfing activity. To actually see how vulnerable your computer is online PC Flank provides one of the best tests of your system, this will provide you with a detailed analysis of your computer security online. PC Flank Test Your System After completing these tests against your system your will have a new profound appreciation for a firewall and how critical it is to run one. Configuration of a firewall is pretty straight forward however many people will tell you this isn't the case, like a poorly configured firewall is as bad as not having one in the first place. This is true, but the basic and default configurations of a firewall for most firewalls on installation is basically all you need to do, advanced configurations may be useful in some other enviroments but for a home user most default firewall configurations are completely acceptable. Some of the firewalls available for your computer that are free are from Zone Labs, there home use firewall called ZoneAlarm is a completely free firewall for the home user. ZoneAlarm Zone Labs Agnitum makes in our opinion one of most advanced firewalls for the home user, although this is not a novice user firewall. They released a free version called Outpost Firewall Version 1.0, while this version is no longer supported by Agnitum. You can still find this version on many online download sites like off the following link at MajorGeeks.com. Outpost Firewall Agnitum Sunbelt Software also produces a free firewall called Kerio Personal Firewall, this is another product that provides ideal protection to the home user. Sunbelt Kerio Personal Firewall |