Firewall: Protect your PC from Internet thugs

Posted on February 1, 2009
Filed Under Technology | Leave a Comment

It is important to know how and why you should install a web firewall with the onslaught of computer hackers, scammers, and viruses that are prevalent around the Internet. Defense from malicious data harming your computer is provided by a web firewall. With one, you can avoid dangerous attacks that can wipe out your data or steal personal information.

Since there are a wide variety of web firewalls available, including those from major corporations such as Microsoft, you first need to determine what kind of web firewall your PC requires. A web firewall is likely to be set up and ready to use if the computer came installed with the Microsoft XP or Vista operating system. Check that it is turned on and working properly. Purchase your own software if you do not have one of these newer operating systems. The XP version doesn’t get great reviews so you may still want to buy separate web firewall software if you have Microsoft XP.

There are many products available, including as the most popular – Norton, AVG, and McAfee and you can either visit a store that sells computer software or download a web firewall product through the Internet. Even from the leading companies, there are plenty of low cost versions available, with prices varying according to the sophistication of the software. Once in hand and prior to installing your web firewall, you need to take a few things into consideration. The program must not stop you using the functions that you need, such as file and printing sharing. The documentation provided allows the settings to be configured during installation or at a later date.

Web firewalls tend to stop you from going to certain parts of the Internet as well. It is important that you are familiar with how you connect because this can happen if you use a local area network or a router. When you have installed a web firewall in place, secured networks in particular are difficult to access. Installing a web firewall to a pc linked to a company network may require a specific settings configuration to allow you to connect to them and this can be provided by a company’s IT department.

If all else fails, consider upgrading your computer to use an operating system safer than any of Microsoft’s offerings. Traditionally, hackers have always attacked the Windows OS because it is very popular and often full of holes waiting to be exploited. Unix-based operating systems are much safer alternatives. If you can afford it, you should consider purchasing an Apple computer running the Mac OS X which is the most popular commercially available consumer operating system that is of the Unix type. If you don’t have the money to pay the Apple tax, then download a free copy of the many Linux distributions available online. The Linux distribution that is the most user-friendly is known as Ubuntu and it won’t disappoint you.

Bookmark: