Getting right protection from firewall

by Muneer Mohammad

Firewall is there to help you. Firewall is a system specially made for blocking unauthorized access to your PC from the outside world. When a system is protected by a firewall, only the allowed ports are visible to others. No one can break in to your system without your knowledge. Firewall automatically identifies the unauthorized intrusions and block them without reaching to your system according to the knowledge where it learnt from the settings that you or system administrator made.

Basically there are two types of firewalls. One is Hardware and other is Software firewall. Both are wanted according to the situation we are going to implement. You can select a type of firewall that best fits to your need. When choosing a firewall, we have to consider some most important points.

• The cost
• Type of usage
• Level of security
• Number of user or PCs etc.

Most likely, for a home PC user, according to my knowledge it is enough to use a lite Software firewall. Even though sometimes software firewalls cost more than that of a hardware firewall, it is nothing to say that there are no free versions of software firewalls available. Some vendors are offering free software firewalls nowadays. In my home PC, I am too using a free version of COMODO personal firewall. It is very good enough for a normal PC user. If you find that it is not enough to the requirements of your security level, you can search for more. Norton Internet Security, MacAfee personal firewall, Zone alarm security suite are some such kind of commercial software firewalls.

When it comes to the large scale of organizations, institution, firms or any other institution where proven security is must, the kind of hardware firewall is the best suit one. Meanwhile, as a software firewall vendor, Microsoft has announced that they can challenge with all major hardware firewalls. Although, what ever they announced, according to my experience and knowledge I can recommend the hardware firewall for its high security and efficiency.

The first benefit of hardware firewall is its efficiency and reliability. As because it work as a separate hardware device without caring about what the operating system, or what the machine configuration, you can use it with any network without taking much consideration about them. Event the machines, servers on the network fail due to any cases, the firewall would stand alone to protect you.

Another important thing to consider about is the number of machines in your internal network. It is important when licensing the product. Some firewall has limited amount of devices while some others have no limitation. So, we have to make a plan on our internal network before think about the type of firewall product.

About the Author

Administrator of http://www.pc4safe.com who periodically provides IT related articles, trouble shooting tips, updates related to network issues and IT certifications. Started IT career as a hardware technician and crossed networks, web development and Currently working as web programmer & Internet Marketing consultant for encode solutions

source:www.goarticles.com

1 ความคิดเห็น | Posted in » Antivirus software, firewall, Hackers    

Securing Your Computer System

Pj Germain

Today, more and more people are using their computers for everything from communication to online banking and investing to shopping. As we do these things on a more regular basis, we open ourselves up to potential hackers, attackers and crackers. While some may be looking to phish your personal information and identity for resale, others simply just want to use your computer as a platform from which to attack other unknowing targets. Below are a few easy, cost-effective steps you can take to make your computer more secure.

1. Always make backups of important information and store in a safe place separate from your computer.

2. Update and patch your operating system, web browser and software frequently. If you have a Windows operating system, start by going to www.windowsupdate.microsoft.com and running the update wizard. This program will help you find the latest patches for your Windows computer. Also go to www.officeupdate.microsoft.com to locate possible patches for your Office programs.

3. Install a firewall. Without a good firewall, viruses, worms, Trojans, malware and adware can all easily access your computer from the Internet. Consideration should be given to the benefits and differences between hardware and software based firewall programs.

4. Review your browser and email settings for optimum security. Why should you do this? Active-X and JavaScript are often used by hackers to plant malicious programs into your computers. While cookies are relatively harmless in terms of security concerns, they do still track your movements on the Internet to build a profile of you. At a minimum set your security setting for the "internet zone" to High, and your "trusted sites zone" to Medium Low.

5. Install antivirus software and set for automatic updates so that you receive the most current versions.

6. Do not open unknown email attachments. It is simply not enough that you may recognize the address from which it originates because many viruses can spread from a familiar address.

7. Do not run programs from unknown origins. Also, do not send these types of programs to friends and coworkers because they contain funny or amusing stories or jokes. They may contain a Trojans horse waiting to infect a computer.

8. Disable hidden filename extensions. By default, the Windows operating system is set to "hide file extensions for known file types". Disable this option so that file extensions display in Windows. Some file extensions will, by default, continue to remain hidden, but you are more likely to see any unusual file extensions that do not belong.

9. Turn off your computer and disconnect from the network when not using the computer. A hacker can not attack your computer when you are disconnected from the network or the computer is off.

10. Consider making a boot disk on a floppy disk in case your computer is damaged or compromised by a malicious program. Obviously, you need to take this step before you experience a hostile breach of your system.

source:users.search-o-rama.com

No Comment | Posted in » firewall, Hacker, malware, patch, secure, Trojans, viruses, worms    

Top 6 Standalone Spyware Scanners

From Mary Landesman,

It's not just viruses that plague today's Internet users. Spyware surreptitiously monitors your computer and Internet use, while adware can bombard your PC with unwanted advertising. Both pose a drain on your bandwidth and can lead to loss of security. Following are a selection of the best dedicated adware and spyware scanning tools to ferret out these often hidden menaces. If you go the standalone route, make sure you back it up with antivirus software and a firewall.

1. McAfee VirusScan

McAfee AntiSpyware 2006 is no longer sold as a standalone product, but don't despair. McAfee VirusScan (2006) includes the same stellar protection. In our tests, both products nabbed 98% of running processes associated with adware and spyware, effectively neutering the infestation. At $39.99 for both stellar spyware protection and a top-notch virus scanner, McAfee VirusScan (2006) is a steal.

Read Review

2. Webroot Spy Sweeper

Spy Sweeper removed 100% of the miscreant BHOs and Toolbars in our tests and stopped 84% of the active processes associated with adware and spyware. Spy Sweeper is a standalone spyware scanner and not a full-fledged Internet security suite, thus it is best used in conjunction with antivirus and firewall software.

3. Sunbelt CounterSpy

Sunbelt's CounterSpy removed 90% of the miscreant Browser Helper Objects (BHOs) in our tests. Sporting above average detection for only $19.99, CounterSpy offers inexpensive protection, an easy-to-use interface and US-based tech support.

4. Windows Defender

Windows Defender is offered free and, like CounterSpy, sports above average detection rates. The product is still considered beta and tech support is not provided. Despite these setbacks, it can provide a good second opinion. However, Microsoft AntiSpyware and CounterSpy should not be installed on the same system, as they both share common components.

Vendor's Site

5. Spybot Search & Destroy

Free for personal use, Spybot doesn't have stellar removal rates. It does, however, provide TeaTimer and SDHelper which are extremely effective at preventing adware and spyware from gaining a foothold on your computer. So while you may not want to rely on it for detection and removal, you may want to install and activate it alongside other protection to help keep your system spyware-free.

Vendor's Site

6. Hijack This

Another free utility, Hijack This isn't a traditional spyware scanner. It will, however, provide a full report of what's active on your system. Experienced users can peruse the report, identify the miscreants, and use Hijack This to disable the unwanted loading (or do so manually). Less experienced users can save the Hijack This log and send it to a more savvy friend for advice.

Vendor's Site

source:about.com

No Comment | Posted in » adware, antivirus, firewall, scanning, spyware    

Computer Safety Tips

From Mary Landesman,

Achieving good computer security can seem like a daunting task. Fortunately, following the few simple steps outlined below can provide a good measure of security in very little time.

Use antivirus software and keep it updated. You should check for new definition updates daily. Most antivirus software can be configured to do this automatically.