Do You Really Need A Firewall? If you connect to the Internet using dial-up you probably don't need a firewall - but if you use any kind of broadband you generally do. Why so? Because when you use dial-up access your connection to the Net is passed through routers at your ISP. These routers (in turn) look for a vacant modem to plug you into. And the end result is that your IP number will usually alter from one dial-up session to the next. When you use a broadband system, though, your IP number usually remains constant from one session to the next. And it's this permanency of your address that provides such a handy doorway for hackers who'd like to use your IP number to gain access to your PC (or network) through the Net. Sophisticated hackers employ all sorts of techniques to sniff out unprotected PCs across the Internet. These often include software robots that trawl the Net 24 hours a day, seven days a week looking for vulnerable IP numbers. So if you connect using broadband without a firewall for any length of time, then it's highly likely one of these robot sniffers will find you. And not long after that, the hacker who runs the sniffer will be visiting your IP address and trying to hack you in person.

Other Firewall Resources An Overview Of Firewalls A Comparison Of Firewalls Download.Com's Firewall Software List Softpedia's Firewall Software List

Firewall Software

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Background: A firewall is a software program acts as a protective barrier between your computer and a network (generally, the Internet).

Firewalls inspect any network traffic that passes through them and allow or deny access to your computer based on rules that you set.

Firewalls were first developed in 1988 when the early Internet was swept by the Morris worm. That particular worm was a primitive virus that spread via the Net and although it was benign, it demonstrated that no-one (at that time, anyway) had any protection against such a form of attack.

Over the decades since then, though, firewalls have advanced quite considerably. And today if you connect to the Net using any form of non-dial-up access a firewall is as indispensable to your personal security as a good anti-virus program and adware/spyware blasters.

Early firewalls generally required extensive rule-setting that demanded a high level of technical knowledge and expertise. But contemporary firewall software developers recognise that most people aren't network gurus and have made the process of rule-setting fairly easy. And that's a good thing, because a firewall with too loose a set of rules offers very little protection at all.

Most firewalls are commercial software, but fortunately there are also several very good ones which are completely free.

Here's four of the best:

ZoneAlarm Basic Firewall

ZoneAlarm Basic Firewall is an effective, easy-to-use firewall program that does a great job of keeping your PC safe from a variety of threats. ZoneAlarm uses a wizard to make configuring your firewall very easy. And maintaining and updating settings also is a snap using its simple slider controls. The program's Zones feature allows you to assign different security levels for both your local network (if you use one) and for the Internet. Unusually, ZoneAlarm also has a "Game Mode" which lets you automatically allow or deny alerts when you're in the middle of playing a video game. We've used this software for a long time and have found that it's very good at recognizing and automatically including settings for our local network. And in all our tests, it's guarded us against all the external and internal threats it encountered. Because of this, we think ZoneAlarm is an excellent firewall choice for just about any average user. ZoneAlarm runs on Windows (2000, XP and Vista) and it's completely free for individual and not-for-profit charitable entity use. Get ZoneAlarm Basic Firewall.

Comodo Firewall Pro

Comodo Firewall Pro is a alternative to ZoneAlarm that's been getting very good reviews since it reached Version 3.0 (Version 2.0 was a bit of a memory hog, but that problem has been eliminated in the new version). The program offers a lot of ZoneAlarm's ease-of-use features for non-technical users. But more advanced users who like to play with their software will be very pleased with the smorgasbord of information and options that Comodo provides, as well as the ability to "drill down" into the software to see how the firewall is performing across a wide range of areas. Comodo also "learns" your computer's behaviour as time goes by. So while it may intrude a bit when you first install it, the software soon drops away to running quietly in the background. Comodo runs on Windows (XP and Vista) and it's very highly regarded by many people. It's also completely free. Get Comodo Firewall Pro.

PC Tools Firewall Plus Free Edition

PC Tools' Firewall Plus Free Edition is a powerful personal free firewall for Windows (2000 to Vista) that protects your computer from hackers and intruders. Firewall Plus can stop trojans, backdoors and keyloggers from damaging your computer and/or stealing your private information and it also offers protection against attacks and known exploits. The program is easy to use and provides automatic protection as soon as it's installed. You can then create your own rules if you want to customise your network defenses further. The latest version has also added new smart Application Rules, Stealth Mode protection, and data validation using SPI. This is a very well-regarded firewall program from an equally well-regarded, long-standing company. And it's also totally free. Get PC Tools Firewall Plus Free Edition.

Online Armour Free

Finally, Tall Emu's Online Armor Free is the only free personal firewall in the world to pass 100% of leak tests out of the box. It's also quite powerful, but very straightforward to install and simple to use. Online Armor includes powerful "HIPS" functions which give you the ability to stop all unrecognised programs from running on your computer unless you say so. This makes it possible to protect yourself against these new attacks (including new viruses which may not yet have been identified by your anti-virus program). However, all programs that Online Armor knows are safe are allowed to run without hindrance. Online Armour Free is the low-end version of Tall Emu's commercial firewalls, and if you want to upgrade you can get additional features. But this software - which runs on Windows (2000, XP and 2003 Server) - may be all the firewall software that many people will ever need. PS: We think it's worth noting that Computerworld rated the commercial version of Online Armour as the the best firewall software of 2008 . Get Online Armour Free.