A firewall on your computer does what the lock on your front door does - it only allows authorized users to enter. Just as your front door can prevent a burglar from walking into your house, a firewall's built-in filters stop unauthorized or dangerous material from getting into your computer.
These filters also prevent malicious programmes like Spyware from accessing the Internet from your PC, so they cannot send your personal data to thieves or criminals.
Just as you need a key for every door in and out of your house, you'll need a firewall for each computer in your house.
Most recent wireless routers come with a built-in Firewall. Check your router's specifications to make sure you're protected. If you're still concerned, check out the free Firewall options recommended below.
Like anti-virus or anti-spyware packagers, Firewalls can be either free or commercial. Find out more about some free firewalls below.
Because Microsoft Windows XP is very popular, many criminals target it to exploit its vulnerabilities. To provide extra security, Microsoft created a free firewall that comes with every Windows XP PC. But this firewall is not automatically turned on - you have to do this manually.
Microsoft's free firewall is very basic. It's a good idea to turn on the Microsoft Firewall as soon as you can, but you can also use a more complex Firewall that will give you all the protection you need. You can learn how to turn on the Microsoft window in the Microsoft Security Centre Tool.
ZoneAlarm is a Firewall that is free for any home user to download. You can choose to pay for a more advanced version of ZoneAlarm, but the free version works very well on its own. If you have the Windows XP Firewall turned on and ZoneAlarm installed and updated, your PC should be well protected.
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