There is a really quick and easy way to determine how "guarded" your system is. Before I get into that I would like to mention a couple of things about hacking. Folks here have mentioned that they have never had a problem with a hacker. How would you know? If someone is going to use your machine to spoof an ip address or to use other system resources they should be able to do it covertly. You would never even know they were there. Broadband is ALWAYS on, regardless of the status of your web browser. If your machine is on it is open to the internet, not only the World Wide Web. WWW only uses a small handful of ports, Microsoft machines have thousands of ports. The XP firewall is limited and always a target of hackers. The more popular a product is the more likely someone has found a hole in it. That is one of the reasons you don't hear about much hacking on MACs or Linux machines. There are just not that many machines out there, therefore the motivation to hack them is limited. All this being said it should be remembered, hardware firewalls are ALWAYS better than software firewalls. An inexpensive router, configured correctly, is your best bet. Linksys seems to provide the most user friendly interface for configuring a safe environment. Additionally, now that linksys is a subsidary of Cisco, the router and switch king, the routers are becoming better with each passing release. The use of a software firewall, like zonealarm, is possible with a hardware firewall but it may actually be overkill. Basic security tactics are always recommended regardless of your firewall. If you are using XP, which is the best version of Windows for using broadband, you must be certain that you have downloaded and installed all updates. Now to answer that burning question "is my system secure" all one needs do is go to www.grc.com and run the Shields Up application. This application will tell you which ports are accessible on your machine and will give you tips on how to configure a more secure connection. So, get broadband, it is a whole different world. Take two hours out of a week and surf up some security sites and check your connection. You will be as safe as possible in a very short period of time.
