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With the surge of home users switching
to broadband (DSL, cable), home PC's are now more attractive
to hackers. Usually, they are not interested in hacking
you, per se, but they are looking for a FAST springboard
to the net for more dubious activities; they want to
hide behind your identity.
The only way to make your computer completely
hacker proof is to turn it off or disconnect it from
the Internet. The real issue is how to make your computer
99% hacker proof. An unprotected computer connected
to the Internet via broadband (cable, DSL) is like leaving
your car running with the doors unlocked and the keys
in it which a thief might interpret as "please
steal me". Locking a car, using a "club"
or installing a security system makes stealing a car
more difficult.
A broadband Internet connection is easier
to hack because it is "always-on" and often
has a static IP address. This means that once a hacker
finds your computer, it is easier to find it again.
Most 56k dial-up Internet connections use a new IP address
each time you connect which makes it much harder to
find your computer again unless a Trojan horse (virus/spyware)
has invaded your system which can phone its home each
time you connect.
There are many reasonable, and indeed,
free firewall programs out there. Of these, the Big
3 freewares (no charge for home use) programs are:
Sygate
(business use costs $40)
Tiny
(business use costs $39), and
ZoneAlarm
(business use, $20)
My router is firewall-protected (if you
are splitting your cable access, you use a router and
they are also susceptible).
ZoneAlarm can block cookies from being
installed without my knowledge, stops intrusions and
gives me reports on any attempted attacks, and doesn't
allow a program to access the web without my knowledge.
That can be a bit cumbersome, but it is worth it. The
programs are easy to install and, yes, you have to read
a little, the instructions are for regular folks and
upgrades are a cinch.
Nowadays, my computer knows more about
me than my husband, so if you are anything like me,
install a firewall.
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