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INTERNET SECURITY

Today, most people are connected to the internet through high speed access by cable modems or DSL. Previously if you were on regular dial up, you weren't prone to probes from hackers, but now, more and more people are searching the internet and are more susceptible to others gaining unauthorized entry into their computers.

There are several ways to help prevent this from occurring by installing and maintaining either a hardware or software firewall.  For most home users, a software firewall is sufficient to protect them from most casual intrusions. 

Let's talk a little bit about setting up a software firewall on your computer. There are several programs that you can use: Norton Internet Security®, McAfee Fire®, Zone Alarm®, and also at www.download.com there are free and shareware firewalls available. Windows will be coming out with Service Pack 2 for their operating system in the 2^nd or 3^rd quarter of this year. This Service Pack will enhance the firewall that is currently in the system now.  Also it will add pop-up blocker to Internet Explorer.

The firewalls are easy to set up being wizard-based. The program will ask you to configure the permissions for programs that need access to the Internet. After the initial setup, any new programs installed will need to be granted permission to access the Internet.  This way, you are more aware of what programs are being utilized to access the Internet and you also have more control over your system.

Once you have installed a firewall onto your computer, you need it test its effectiveness. One way to do this would be to go to www.grc.com and perform their free Shields Up! security test. This will give you instant feedback as to how secure your system is.

If you need additional assistance in securing your computer, please contact me at support@qualitycomputersfl.com.