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VIRUS
SCANNING IS NOT ENOUGH
For better interactivity, particularly
in the multimedia area - and even for simple surfing - it is a real pleasure to
have broadband "permanent" connection. - ISDN, ADSL, CABLE and
SATELLITE for the lucky ones.
Permanent connection means instant connection
- without the shrieking noise of a simple modem - and fast download.
With such a permanent connection you can enjoy the speediness of downloading software;
for instance - 20 Megabytes of file download in 2 to 3 minutes against 1 to 3
hours for a simple modem; it is a real joy to see the download meter running fast
to the end of the scale, which means you can perform the task you are after quick
and pronto; disconnect and work off-line if you wish.
However
there is a drawback to this user friendly side of broadband connection: you
are more exposed to hackers attacks and a virus scanning utility is not enough
to protect you from the damage that may be done to your system if the "rogues"
succeed in their destruction tasks. Your hard disk could be erased or your system
used as a Trojan horse to perform attacks against other computers without
you even noticing it...Remember the attacks few months ago against Ebay and AOL.
YOU NEED A PERSONNEL FIREWALL
It's better to take precaution in advance and avoid being burned!
In
addition to your virus scanning and protection tool, you should opt for an utility
which acts as "sentinel" against hackers; alerting you about
attempts made to enter your system when you are online with broadband connection.
Believe me minutes after installing such a system, I was amazed to see the
background activities occurring behind the screen of my monitor. Some group from
Australia - 12,000 miles from my residence country - was probing my system to
see if I have Symantec's PcAnyWhere insatlled on my system.
As you certainly know it, PcAnyWhere is an utility which allows movers to use
their portable to reach their desktop computer or intranet when they are on the
road. Hackers love PcAnyWhere, which is a perfect Trojan horse to performing
their insidious attacks.
Within one hour I got many other probes to
the ports on my system from all other the world.
WHAT
TO DO TO AVOID SUCH ATTACKS
Fortunately, there are "sentinels",
which help you control the mischievous attacks from villains who are glad and
relish penetrating into your "house" unnoticed and play havoc.
There is "BlackIce
Defender" from Network Ice Corporation. It combines both firewall and
intrusion detection in a single easy-to-use package. As soon as an attack is launched
against your system, BlackIce Defender system tray's tool flashes an alert and
gives you details about the attacker and the seriousness of said attack. You have
the following options:
1- trust the attacker - it may be your Internet
Service Provider - probing / running stats for its subscribers online.
2- block the attacker for a day, a week or for ever.
Once
you blocked an attack, the attacker had no clue that its attempts are blocked
by BlackIce Defender; he cannot detect the "sentinel" and its attacks
remained unsuccessful.
IS IT THE
BEST PROTECTION?
However, the best protection, even
if you have a "sentinel" installed with broadband and permanent connection
is to never let your system unattended; disconnect when you are not physically
present in front of your monitor.
"BlackIce
Defender" costs US $ 39,90.
Want the best? Choose ZoneAlarm
Click here
-
Before taking a final decision about which firewall is the best for your system
/ network / organization it is better to have a thorough opinion and information
on how a firewall perfoms. There is an excellent White
Paper on firewalls on the site of vicomsoft.com, which produces also
InterGate firewall