Keeping Intruders at Bay

If you are on the Internet, you need a firewall - plain and simple.

There are many kinds of firewalls and it doesn't hurt anything to have more than one. Firewalls are especially critical if you have a continuous connection to the Internet - i.e., DSL or Cable.

Dial-up connections are not as critical as services that are constantly online because online sessions are typically not as long and you usually receive a different IP address every time you sign on. However, we still recommend some type of basic firewall even for dial up connections. It never hurts to be too careful.

With DSL or Cable, your modem may act as an upfront firewall. This is a good start, but that really isn't enough. Use of a router may add an additional layer of protection, but don't stop there. We highly recommend a software firewall even if you already have the aforementioned hardware protection for your computer or network.

WIN XP has a built-in firewall that adds some basic protection, assuming you have it turned on. However, we believe there are better solutions available, even at no cost to you. To learn more about the favorite we have used successfully for over four years, click on Zone Alarm here or in the top of the left column. It has performed very well for us.