Protecting Yourself Online: Part 1

Welcome to the first installment of "Protecting Yourself Online". 

So, you finally got the Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) or Cable modem installed? The connection is fast, C-Net radio sounds perfect, and you can view CNN video on your computer. Life is good, huh? Not quite. Your connection is now vulnerable to many individuals that are searching the Internet for vulnerable prey. Like a tiger looking for the weakest prey, malicious attackers are looking for the easiest victims. DSL and Cable users have become prime candidates for computer vandals. Well, I turn off my machine when I go to sleep at night. I unplug my network cable when I'm done surfing. These are simple security precautions, but what happens when you are online? Only on for 1 hour? 4? This is more than enough time for a person with malicious intent to get into an un-protected system. To keep using your computer on the Internet without protection is a big game of Russian roulette. The next excuse most commonly heard is, I don't use DSL and I don't use a Cable modem. These users are not as good prey, but are prey nevertheless. 

What do I do to protect myself? There's nothing I can do!

Wrong, there is much you can do. Like the club for your car, adding security measures to your computer will deter the potential intruder and convince them to go elsewhere.

First: Become aware of your situation. Awareness is the first step in progressing. Have your machine scanned for security holes. Check out Shields UP! to have the site scan your machine for security holes. Shields UP! will help in making you aware of the security (or insecurity) of your machine.

Second: Now that you are aware of the security issues on your machine, what do you do about them? Well, there are quite a number of tools on the market to answer just that question. Three products come to mind when individual machine protection needs to be implemented. The first product that comes to mind is BlackICE by NetworkICE, Inc. BlackICE is a wonderful application that allows you to block all incoming connections. The second product that comes to mind is ZoneAlarm. ZoneAlarm is also a personal firewall, but this one is the only one that is free out of the three firewalls discussed here. ZoneAlarm is a very detailed highly customizable personal firewall. 

Third: The third product is Norton Internet Security 2000. Norton Internet Security 2000 is a popular personal firewall that meets all your personal protection needs. 

Which firewall should you use? Depending on your experience with software I would recommend the following personal firewalls.

By: Efrain Ortiz,Jr. MCP+I, MCSE July 2000

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