Mrs. Mecomber's Scrapbook Talking technology, computers, and the Internet… for the average computer user

Gone are the days when you could just connect your computer to your Internet connection and let ‘er rip. Viruses, worms, trojans, and malware are circulating on the Internet, seeking an open door or window (commonly called ports for computers) or an unsuspecting user who will download a file, open an email, or visit a malicious site to steal personal information. It is absolutely crucial that you secure your computer before you ever plug it into the modem. In this post, I’m going to give you some information and links to free firewall programs that you can download and install.

In a nutshell, think of a firewall as a door. Your computer has many doors, to let information in and out. But you want to control the stuff that comes in and out of the doors– this is where the firewall comes in. The firewall will watch which doors are opening and closing, and will ask you if you want to let certain information in and out. Without a firewall, your doors are wide open for anything and everything to flow in and out. Also, when you first install and use your firewall, the firewall will ask you a LOT of questions at first. It will notify you every time it senses some data wanting to come in or out. Some people grow weary of all the questions, but the firewall will remember your answers if you tell it to (usually this requires checking a box that says “remember my answer” or something like it). Over time, the firewall will build a list of programs you are allowing in and programs you are blocking. So don’t go crazy when your new firewall pummels you with a ton of questions in the beginning; it will quiet down.

If you are interested in learning more about how firewalls work, there’s a good article about it at How Stuff Works.

Photo courtesy of How Stuff Works.

You may be thinking, “How can I download and install anything when I shouldn’t even connect to the Internet yet?” Well, there are a few ways to go about this:

1. You can use a different computer (a secure one) to download the programs. For example, a friend’s computer- your friend can download the programs and put them on a CD or a flash drive. You can install them from the CD or flash drive before connecting to the Internet.

2. You can temporarily activate the Windows firewall. Windows firewall is a program only on XP or Vista computers (older versions do not have it).

In the previous XP versions, the Windows firewall was disabled by default. I found this out the hard way when, several years ago, I plugged in my new XP laptop into the modem. Within 1/2 an hour of being online without a firewall, my new computer was infected with the Blaster worm. The computer kept shutting down and rebooting– I had to completely reformat my computer to get rid of it. :-p

I understand that Windows Vista, and new computers with Windows XP, now come with the Windows firewall enabled. But it would be wise to check first. Go to Control Panel and look for something that says “Security Center” or “Windows Firewall.” (The names vary, depending on your Windows version). Look for “firewall” and make sure it is operational.

OK, so now perhaps you are thinking, “Well, why get a different firewall when Windows already has one?” The Windows firewall is not very powerful. It will keep most bad traffic from entering your computer system, but it doesn’t do much to stop any malware from “phoning home” from your computer to other computers out on the Internet. And the Windows firewall is extremely basic, with few options. Firewalls can be a bit complicated to configure, but you don’t want anything as simple as Windows firewall. It’s too risky. There are free firewall programs that do a much better job protecting your computer. Some come with added stuff, like an anti-virus program, spyware checkers, etc. I prefer to keep my programs simple, rather than have the “one size fits all” kind of program. I have a separate firewall, a separate anti-virus, several different spyware checkers, and etc. That’s what I prefer. You may decide otherwise.

Here are some links to some good, free firewalls. You may have to hunt around for the free programs because the manufacturers like to promote their “professional” versions. But the free ones are there! Just for the record, I use Comodo.

Comodo Firewall Pro
Zone Alarm
Agnitum
Ashampoo Firewall Free
Sunbelt Kerio Free Firewall

You should only have one firewall running on your computer. Two or more may cause connection problems. So after you download and install your third-party firewall, disable the Windows Firewall.

Note: be aware that with free firewalls and anti-virus programs, there is no personal support for them. If you need help figuring out the program or troubleshooting errors, you are on your own. The paid-for versions offer tech support.

Firewall software vendors usually have support forums or knowledgebases to help you use the program or solve problems. You have to search for answers and configure the program yourself. Another option if you run into trouble: you can always do a search by asking a question in the search engine. It helps to be as specific as possible when you search.

In the next post about computer security, I’ll address the importance of anti-virus and malware programs.