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Firewalls

A firewall is a door between your computer and the rest of the internet, it is there to make sure you are as safe as you can be from hackers, worms, viruses and all the other nasty people and programs out there.

Windows XP (with service pack 2 or 3), Windows Vista and Windows 7 all have firewalls built in. If your computer runs Windows 95, 98, ME or 2000, you should install a firewall on your computer. You can download a free one from the address below, but there are other free firewalls out there.

Firewall packages that you pay for offer a wider range of protections than a free package – the site linked below compare what that company’s free and paid for packages offer. If you’re running a version of windows that has a firewall built in, make sure you have it turned on!!

Many personal firewalls are able to control network traffic by prompting the user each time a connection is attempted and adapting security policy accordingly. Personal firewalls may also provide some level of intrusion detection, allowing the software to terminate or block connectivity where it suspects an intrusion is being attempted.

A personal firewall has some or all of these features:

• prevents an unauthorized user from accessing your PC, either from the Internet or from within your local network.
• blocks some Trojan horse programs and many hostile applications that seek to take over your computer.
• Automatically blocks intruders and thieves
• Hides your computer from hackers
• Automatically detects Internet attacks, like the CodeRed and Blaster worms
• Monitors and regulates all incoming and outgoing Internet traffic
• Gives you the power to decide which programs connect to the Internet
• Shields you from being attacked through security holes in unpatched software
• Prevents confidential information from being sent without your permission
• Blocks banner ads and popup windows, so you can browse faster

• New packages aimed at home users and small businesses are inexpensive and require little setup on your part.

See FrankandHonest.com’s internet security info page for more details on how you need to protect your computer and all the info you put on it.

Name: ZoneAlarm
Web: http://www.zonealarm.com/security/en-us/compare-anti-virus-spyware-software.htm
Email:
Tel:
Info: Free Firewall downloads.

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