A personal firewall is a either a software program or hardware device that assist in screening out viruses, hackers, and worms that attempt to contaminate or enter your computer over while you surf the world wide web. If you are a small-business user or home user, utilizing a personal firewall is the one of the best valuable and important initial steps you can take to assist you in guarding your computer pathways.
One of the first rules, is to make sure your antivirus and firewall software is turned on previous to connecting to the Internet. Top Ten Tips on Firewalls
1. If your PC is not guarded when you are surfing the internet, hackers can get entry to your computer and get access to your personal data on your computer system.
2. Worms and trojans can install code on your PC that may destroy files or cause computer disruptions. Malicious software can also utilize your PC to create problems on other business and home computers that are connected to the Internet.
3. A personal firewall helps to block out many different types of malicious programs and Internet traffic prior to it reaching your system.
4. Some computer firewalls can also assist in preventing other users from using your PC to attack other systems without your approval.
5. Using a personal firewall is vital no what method you use to connect to the Internet, whether it be with a cable modem, dial-up modem, or dsl modem.
6. A computer firewall software will not make your PC or computer totally safe. However, a personal firewall provides the most helpful initial line of protection.
7. Make sure you install a personal firewall before you install any other secuirty measures, and then you can add additional security programs, such as updating your computer operating system, installing an anti virus software or antispyware software program.
8. If you have multiple computers in a small-office network or home network, you should guard all you computers with a firewall program.
9. Activating you personal firewall will help protect from the spreading of a virus program from one PC to another PC in your network if one of your PC’s becomes infected with a virus. However, it won’t block a virus once it is opened in an infected email attachment. This may cause other computer to become infected in your network as well. Make sure you have installed an anti virus software program as well on all your computers.
10. Most firewalls cannot guard against viruses that spread because of e-mail, such as Trojan horses, which impersonate as benign or helpful software and mislead you into downloading or opening them. A personal firewall cannot avert pop-up ads or spam.
A personal firewall will not protect or stop access to an unprotected wireless network. However, the network firewall helps to guard the PC’s on your network, so if an prowler were to get entrance to your network, that person could not enter your personal computer system.
Top 2 Firewall Programs
ZoneAlarm Pro
Kerio Personal Firewall