Greetings --
In today's Internet environment, only a fool would go on-line,
regardless of connection type, without both a reliable firewall and a
good antivirus application. However, it's not enough just to install
such applications; each and every computer user must learn to properly
configure these applications, rather than relying upon the default,
one-size-fits-all settings. Installing such protective measures
without learning to use them is dangerous, and does create a false
sense of security in many people. Firewalls and anti-virus
applications are essential components of "safe computing," but they
cannot, and should not be expected to, protect the computer user from
him/herself.
WinXP's built-in firewall is fine at stopping incoming attacks, and
hiding your ports from probes. It doesn't give you any alarms to tell
you that it is working, though. What WinXP also does not do, is
protect you from any Trojans or spyware that you might download and
install inadvertently. It doesn't monitor out-going traffic at all,
much less block (or at least ask you about) the bad or the
questionable out-going packets.
ZoneAlarm, Kerio, or Sygate are all much better, and are much more
easily configured, and there are a free versions of each readily
available. Even Symantec's Norton Personal Firewall is superior,
although it does take a heavier toll of performance then do ZoneAlarm,
Kerio, or Sygate.
Bruce Chambers
--
Help us help you:
You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. -- RAH
