The Verse - Volume Four
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Tech Tips - Fun with Firewalls

The only way to make your computer completely secure is to disconnect it from the Internet. So, how do you make your computer as secure as possible when it is essential to be online? Having a computer network without security is like leaving your car unlocked and the keys in it. Internet security products, such as firewalls, provide protection by making it difficult for "hackers" to get in to your computer or your network.

What is a firewall?

A firewall is a system that controls access policy between two networks. Basically, a firewall blocks traffic and permits traffic. If you don't have a good idea of what kind of access you want to allow or to deny, a firewall really won't help you. It's important to ensure that the firewall is properly configured, preferably by an experienced network engineer.

Why would I want a firewall?

The Internet is full of bad people who enjoy the computer equivalent of vandalism, harassment and theft. The rest of us have to get real work done over the Internet, and most of us have sensitive data we want to protect. A firewall's purpose is to keep the jerks out of your network while still letting you get your job done.

What can a firewall protect against?

Generally, firewalls are configured to protect against unauthorized logins from the world outside your network. This helps prevent "hackers" from logging into machines on your network. More elaborate firewalls block traffic from the outside to the inside, but permit users on the inside to communicate freely with the outside. Firewalls also can provide a single choke point for security. Firewalls also provide an auditing function with summaries about what kind and the amount of traffic, how many attempts there were to break into it, etc. It's like a "guarded gate" for your network.

What about viruses?

Firewalls don't protect very well against viruses. Instead of trying to screen viruses out at the firewall, make sure that your computers and servers have virus scanning software. A network with virus scanning software will be protected against viruses from floppy disks, e-mail and the Internet.

Some goodPersonal Firewalls

Norton Personal Firewall from Symantec works on inbound and outbound traffic, provides pre-written rules for novices and allows experts to write custom rules. www.symantec.com

ZoneAlarm from Zone Labs is easy to install and configure, blocks inbound and outbound traffic, scans email and has a free version that's great for home use. www.zonelabs.com