>>>Oh, gimme a break... <g>
>>>
>>>As JVP said, what solution? <g>
>>
>>Microsoft Proxy Server isn't a firewall solution? It seems to work wonderfully for me. However, as you and JVP seem to have missed, the question wasn't about "personal" firewalls. You asked which firewall I use, and I gave the answer. What are the odds that I'll download Proxy Server from an internal server for my home use, eh? :-)
>>
>>>Zone Alarm sound interesting though..
>>
>>As far as I can tell, it seems to be the best one to use. As mentioned elsewhere in this thread, check www.grc.com to see for yourself.
>
>For the completely uninformed...........
>
>I will soon be getting DSL service at home to replace my dial-in to an ISP. Am I at any risk and should I be looking at getting a firewall???
>
>......Thanks...........Rich

With dial-up Internet access, typically you are connected to the Internet only intermittently, and each time you dial in you are assigned a different IP address by your ISP. The risk of a hacker scanning your PC and then being able to find it again later is small.

With broadband (DSL or cable), your machine is continuously connected to the Internet whenever it is switched on. Often your modem is assigned a static or pseudo-static IP address. It is easy for a hacker to scan your machine and find it again later if s/he so desires. So, security is much more important.

For a basic idea of how secure your machine is NOW (i.e. vial dial-up), visit http://grc.com and use the ShieldsUp! test. Also read the excellent overview of security issues that can be found there.

Once you are attached via broadband, you have 3 security options:

1. If you have a single computer, and are using a relatively secure OS (NT, W2K, *n?x, etc.) you can configure its networking to minimize risk, typically by making sure certain components such as NetBIOS are not available over the external network. In the ShieldsUp! test, your ports will show up as "Closed". However, you may still be vulnerable to certain denial-of-service (DoS) attacks such as SYN flood (such as that which took down Yahoo! etc.).

2. If you are not comfortable manually configuring your machine's networking, or you are using an insecure OS like Win9x/Me, look hard at ZoneLabs' ZoneAlarm personal software firewall, which is freely downloadable. You may want to do this even if you are in category 1. above.

3. If you want to set up a home network, invest in a broadband router/firewall such as the LinkSys BEFSR41. These devices have a superb feature set and are inexpensive (currently about CAN$200 / US$135(?)). I believe a hardware firewall is more secure than a software one (how long will it be before some enterprising scumbag writes a mail bomb that slyly reconfigures ZoneAlarm?) With a built-in 10/100 Ethernet switch, it covers your LAN requirement as well without having to buy a hub. If you already have a hub, LinkSys makes a single-port router for a slightly lower cost.

Whatever route you take, visit http://grc.com AFTER you've set everything up, and test again.

Maybe the most important point, is to remember that there is no such thing as "perfect" security. You must remain vigilant and question anything unusual in your environment.

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A pet peeve is people who blindly rely on their antivirus software to protect them from all evil. With the latest crop of ILOVEYOU and W95.MTX (Matrix) - type viruses/worms, you can have completely up-to-date virus definition files and they won't do you a bit of good. Sadly, a lot people have virus definitions dated something like 1998.12.21...

Then you get those people who send you an e-mail, and at the end of the message write something like, "Oh, and if you receive another e-mail from me shortly after this one, ignore it, I'm having a pesky virus problem". Typhoid Mary for the cyber age...

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