![]() | |
![]() | |
![]() |
Security Information |
|
![]() |
Personal Firewalls for Home Users
What is a Firewall? The term "firewall" illustrates a system that protects a network and the machines on them from various types of attack. Firewalls are geared towards keeping the server up all the time and protecting the entire network. The primary goal of a firewall is to implement a desired security policy; controlling access in both directions through the firewall, and to protect the firewall itself from compromise. It wards off intrusion attempts, Trojans and other malicious attacks. Personal Firewalls: They are meant for the home user in a networked environment. They aim to block simple attacks, unlike the enterprise level firewalls that the corporate world uses at the server or router end. There are many ways to implement a firewall, each with specific advantages and disadvantages. Are they really needed? Nowadays organizations and professionals use Internet technology to establish their online presence and showcase their products and services globally. Their endeavor is to leverage digital technology to make their business work for them. All the organizations and professionals are shifting from Dialup to broadband and getting a fixed IP. It has led to an increase in security attacks, bugs in everyday working. This does not mean that Dialup being anonymous dynamic link or the firewall of the ISP network make you pretty safe. Now if your machine was under attack, you must have wondered what went wrong making your system crash suddenly. So I would rather like to say, it's not necessary for anyone to actually know about you or your IP address to gain access to your system. If you system is infected or prone to intrusions, then beyond the anonymity of your Dialup connection or a dynamic IP, your system can be hacked. Types of Attacks Intrusion: There are many ways to gain unauthorized access to a system. Operating system vulnerabilities, cracked or guessed passwords are some of the more common. Once access is attained, the intruder can send email, tamper with data, or use the system privileges to attack another system. Information Theft and Tampering: Data theft and tampering do not always require that the system be compromised. There have been many bugs with FTP servers that allow attackers to download password files or upload Trojan horses. Service Attacks: Any attack that keeps the intended user from being able to use the services provided by their servers is considered a denial of service attack. There are many types of denial of service attacks, and unfortunately are very difficult to defend against. "Mail bombs" are one example in which an attacker repeatedly sends large mail files in the attempt at filling the server's disk filesystem thus preventing legitimate mail from being received. Types of Attackers Joyrider: Not all attacks on computer systems are malicious. Joyriders are just looking for fun. Your system may be broken into just because it was easy, or to use the machine as a platform to attack others. It may be difficult to detect intrusion on a system that is used for this purpose. If the log files are modified, and if everything appears to be working, you may never know. Vandals: A vandal is malicious. They break in to delete files or crash computer systems either because they don't like you, or because they enjoy destroying things. If a vandal breaks into your computer, you will know about it right away. Vandals may also steal secrets and target your privacy. "In an incident a Trojan was being used to operate the web cam. All the activities being done in the house were being telecasted on the websites." Spies: Spies are out to get secret information. It may be difficult to detect break-ins by spies since they will probably leave no trace if they get what they are looking for. A personal firewall, therefore, is one of the methods you can use to deny such intrusions. How Firewalls work? Firewalls basically work as a filter between your application and network connection. They act as gatekeepers and as per your settings, show a port as open or closed for communication. You can grant rights for different applications to gain access to the internet and also in a reverse manner by blocking outside applications trying to use ports and protocols and preventing attacks. Hence you can block ports that you don't use or even block common ports used by Trojans. Using Firewalls you can also block protocols, so restricting access to NetBIOS will prevent computers on the network from accessing your data. Firewalls often use a combination of ports, protocols, and application level security to give you the desired security. Firewalls are configured to discard packets with particular attributes such as:
Choosing a firewall: Choose the firewalls which have the ability to ward of all intrusion attempts, control applications that can access the internet, preventing the malicious scripts or controls from stealing information or uploading files and prevent Trojans and other backdoor agents from running as servers. The purpose of having a firewall cannot be diminished in order to gain speed. However, secure, high-performance firewalls are required to remove the bottleneck when using high speed Internet connections. The World-Wide-Web makes possible the generation of enormous amounts of traffic at the click of a mouse. Some of the good firewall performers available in the market are below:
Most of these firewalls are free for personal use or offer a free trial period. All the personal firewalls available can't ensure 100% security for your machine. Regular maintenance of the machine is needed for ensuring safety. Some of the tasks advised for maintaining system not prone to intrusions:
About The Author Pawan Bangar,
MORE RESOURCES: Tallahassee hospital cancels procedures, diverts EMS after IT security issue Tallahassee Democrat Security guard shocked with Taser after macing Lauderhill Police officer during traffic stop WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports | Fort Lauderdale The forgotten Black woman who invented the video home security system The Washington Post Biden Administration Announces Additional Security Assistance for ... Department of Defense President Biden Announces Appointments to the President’s ... The White House Texas Senate leaders signal intent to spend big on border security The Texas Tribune CBP proposes efforts to strengthen aviation security | U.S Customs and Border Protection CVA reports data security breach involving some patient information Alabama's News Leader Leveraging K-9 capabilities within security Security Magazine A call for data-first security VentureBeat Mitigating security risks with an evolving workforce Security Magazine DHS Expands Abraham Accords to Cybersecurity Homeland Security Burlington police: Mayor condemns police's private security contract Burlington Free Press School security: Local schools get $7.6 million for safety upgrades Dayton Daily News Video security cameras that help ensure compliance Security Magazine US. Department of Homeland Security and Finnish Ministry of the ... Homeland Security Claude ISD applying for more funding to support security abc7amarillo.com Memphis Police Chief Trained With Israel Security Forces The Intercept Williamsport security guard allegedly chokeholds boy PAHomePage.com Jeetu Patel on Having a Consistent Design at Cisco Security BankInfoSecurity.com Security guard accused of killing man during fight at grocery store will not face charges Fox Baltimore IBM Security GM on Seeing a Target Through the Hacker's Eyes BankInfoSecurity.com Market Map: Information security guards against economic threats PitchBook News & Analysis Smaller krewes, ready to roll despite security setbacks, hopeful for ... FOX 8 Local First Wiz CEO on the Need to Consolidate Cloud Security Technology BankInfoSecurity.com Statement of Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas on the Family ... Homeland Security HISD addresses security concerns after shooting, police chase ... KPRC Click2Houston DMPS parents call for more security after two guns found in high schools in two weeks KCCI Des Moines ZURIK: Mayor Cantrell's security officers clocked time while nowhere ... FOX 8 Local First Seceon 2023 Cybersecurity Predictions by Seceon Thought Leadership Security Boulevard Street Talk: Ferris partners with National Security Agency Grand Rapids Business Journal Town of Ulster officials vow increased security for Pawan Circle homes after break-ins The Daily Freeman SRPD, cannabis companies gather to hash out security concerns ... The Santa Rosa Press Democrat Security Think Tank: In 2023, we need a new way to cultivate better habits ComputerWeekly.com USENIX Security ’22 – Pratik Vaishnavi, Kevin Eykholt, Amir Rahmati – ‘Transferring Adv... Security Boulevard Joint Statement of the Security Consultative Committee (“2+2 ... Department of State DHS Announces Process Enhancements for Supporting Labor ... Homeland Security DHS Continues to Prepare for End of Title 42; Announces New ... Homeland Security More Than $3 Billion in Additional Security Assistance for Ukraine Department of Defense School of Public Policy and the Heritage Foundation Host Cyber ... Pepperdine University Newsroom |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
RELATED ARTICLES
What is Spyware? The most frustrating part of having Spyware on your computer is the sheer feeling of helplessness that is invoked. Your computer slows down, it no longer does what you instructed it to, it seems to have a mind of its own. SPYWARE - Whos Watching Who? I am in the midst of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray. "The basis of optimism is sheer terror. Lottery Scam, What It is and how to Avoid It? Internet scams and frauds are on the rise! The quantity of scam emails with various fraud schemes any email account receives today is simply overwhelming! There is this infamous Nigerian 419 scam, which is by far the most widely circulated one. I wrote about it in one of our ezine articles not long ago. 8 Surefire Ways to Spot an EBAY Scam E-Mail and Protect Yourself from Identity Theft Ebay is a great site and is used by many to buy and sell new and used Items. It truly is the worlds Largest Garage Sale Unfortunately when an online site becomes as big and popular as E-Bay the scam artists seem to just naturally follow. 5 Simple Steps to Protect your Digital Downloads A couple of days ago, I was searching for a popular eBook online. Now I'm not going to tell you the name of this eBook for reasons you'll understand in the next few minutes. Top Ten Spyware and Adware Threats Identified On December 8, 2004 Webroot, an award winning anti-spyware solution provider, released a press release identifying the ten most significant emerging spyware and adware threats. Most of these you probably haven't heard of and a few may surprise you. Is the Internet Insecure Because of You? Long gone are the days that we could feel secure and know for certain that we had privacy. With the digital age upon us we can no longer be so sure that our privacy is secure. Spyware - Your Web Browser is the Culprit! My first experience with a spyware BHO based infection was several months ago. I had gone through all of the usual steps with the client's machine to clean it. Arming Yourself Against Spyware While clicking from site to site on the internet you are likely to land yourself on a website that downloads spyware onto your computer system. Even while using familiar or unlikely and secure web site you run the risk of being infected with unwanted spyware. Top 10 tips for Safe Internet Shopping Over £5 billion pounds was spent on online shopping in 2004. The Internet was the fastest growing retail sector last year, attracting one in four shoppers. Lets Talk About Antivirus Software! Nowadays more and more people are using a computer. A lot of them use it at their work place, but an increasing number of computer users have also discovered the need to have a computer at home. Top Spyware Removers Considerations Only the top spyware removers are successful at detecting and removing spyware and adware from your computer. You should look for complete protection against these threats: spyware, adware, keyloggers browser hijackers and Remote Access Trojans. Avoiding Scams: If It Sounds Too Good to Be True, It Probably Is A week or so ago, I received an inquiry from a man in Indonesia about buying multiple copies of certain items on my website. I immediately suspected fraud, so I explained that I only had one piece of each. Just Whos Computer is this Anyway? Well, this is an article I never thought I would have to write. Computer ownership was just not something I thought people would get confused over but, after overhearing a number of conversations last week from my co-workers, I realized that quite a few people just don't know how cut and dry this topic is. How to Fight Spyware If you are wondering how to fight spyware for safe web surfing, this Internet privacy article will answer some of your questions. By now you have probably heard about the dangers of spyware. Another Fine Mess! I'm in the Anti-Spyware business, and I'm doing a lot of advertising to promote my website, but here I am online and on the phone, giving my personal information to.. Virus Nightmare..Lessons Learned I got a virus the other day, Thursday I believe and since then I have been making FRANTIC efforts to save all my info.The most important thing for me to save are my Outlook Express emails and my Roboform passwords. What Every Internet Marketer Should Know About Spyware If you run any type of Internet business, Adware and Spyware can be a very serious issue. These programs hide themselves on your computer and do all sorts of annoying and potentially dangerous things. Money Mule Email Scam Hits U.S. Imagine this - you open up your email box and an international company is offering you a dream job - you can be an agent for them - a financial intermediary - receiving payments for them and transferring money to them, and, naturally, keeping a commission on each transaction.There's no investment, no money required. Network Security 101 As more people are logging onto the Internet everyday, Network Security becomes a larger issue. In the United States, identity theft and computer fraud are among the fastest rising crimes. ![]() |
home | site map |
© 2006 |