I came across this topic last night and it was too late for me to put my two cents worth in then... now some 12 hours later when I'm a little more awake...
here goes:
*wince* my inner security 'know it all' is a-cringing... big time.
Trust me on this. I spent a semester studying this last year - all about internet and network security. What's all that learning translate into the real
world? Not a lot... but it should be enough for me to give some pointers.
To survive the net and be relatively safe, you need three levels of protection:
1) Firewall,
2) Anti-Virus,
3) Spyware + Malware
Did I forget to mention level 4? Regularly maintained and Up-to-date versions.
Anyway... Stage 1) Firewalls.
Contrary to popular opinion, a hardware firewall is only partial protection. A -Serious- Cracker, (note the capital C) can get around the simple measures that
hardware firewalls put in place.(I've seen a Cracker get around a NAT system... it wasn't simple but it can be done) And the windows firewall isn't
worth the code it is written with. (Don't get me started on Nortons.)
That is why you need a software firewall, in addition to any hardware firewalls. They muddy the water so to speak and make it harder for any Crackers to get
in. Go to www.firewallguide.com This place is a good
reposity of info. The page you need in particulare is here: the Personal Firewalls page. It has a list of articles that is very interesting reading, as well as links to some
providers of firewalls. Of the ones listed, I personally recommend Online Armor, and Comodo. Why? I use one and my sister use to use the other before it choked
on a 'critical patch for 64bit XP'. But then I generally know my way around a computer and so does my sister.
For a comparison of firewalls and how well they protect: go to the Firewall Testing page on that guide site, which will send you to some sites that will test how secure your current
setup is, and will also send you to www.matousec.com which regularly tests available products and
sees which is the best. Yes they are independant, and well respected by most in the industry. Just read the fine print at the bottom of the page or get someone
to explain it to you.
My personal setup?
The modem is connected to the Gateway (which has own software firewall);
which is connected to a firewalled switch;
which is then connected to me via a LAN.
I run a software firewall (Online Armor, Paid edition);
I run an 'always on' anti-viral engine, (avast!)
I run a Spyware and Malware scanner regularly, (Spybot & Ad+Aware)
I update, scan, and BACKUP regularly.
Hope this helps.
Shader
here goes:
*wince* my inner security 'know it all' is a-cringing... big time.
Trust me on this. I spent a semester studying this last year - all about internet and network security. What's all that learning translate into the real
world? Not a lot... but it should be enough for me to give some pointers.
To survive the net and be relatively safe, you need three levels of protection:
1) Firewall,
2) Anti-Virus,
3) Spyware + Malware
Did I forget to mention level 4? Regularly maintained and Up-to-date versions.
Anyway... Stage 1) Firewalls.
Contrary to popular opinion, a hardware firewall is only partial protection. A -Serious- Cracker, (note the capital C) can get around the simple measures that
hardware firewalls put in place.(I've seen a Cracker get around a NAT system... it wasn't simple but it can be done) And the windows firewall isn't
worth the code it is written with. (Don't get me started on Nortons.)
That is why you need a software firewall, in addition to any hardware firewalls. They muddy the water so to speak and make it harder for any Crackers to get
in. Go to www.firewallguide.com This place is a good
reposity of info. The page you need in particulare is here: the Personal Firewalls page. It has a list of articles that is very interesting reading, as well as links to some
providers of firewalls. Of the ones listed, I personally recommend Online Armor, and Comodo. Why? I use one and my sister use to use the other before it choked
on a 'critical patch for 64bit XP'. But then I generally know my way around a computer and so does my sister.
For a comparison of firewalls and how well they protect: go to the Firewall Testing page on that guide site, which will send you to some sites that will test how secure your current
setup is, and will also send you to www.matousec.com which regularly tests available products and
sees which is the best. Yes they are independant, and well respected by most in the industry. Just read the fine print at the bottom of the page or get someone
to explain it to you.
My personal setup?
The modem is connected to the Gateway (which has own software firewall);
which is connected to a firewalled switch;
which is then connected to me via a LAN.
I run a software firewall (Online Armor, Paid edition);
I run an 'always on' anti-viral engine, (avast!)
I run a Spyware and Malware scanner regularly, (Spybot & Ad+Aware)
I update, scan, and BACKUP regularly.
Hope this helps.
Shader