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Table 51-1: Pros and Cons of Hardware and Software Firewalls Type of FirewallĮxcellent for keeping intruders from getting into your PC or your local network.

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There’s nothing wrong with that, particularly if one of the firewalls is Windows Firewall. To further complicate matters, you may well find that you want to run two software firewalls on the same PC. In addition, I generally recommend that people use hardware firewalls on small networks, simply because they add an independent layer of protection. If a piece of malware gets in to a specific PC, you should be very concerned about it getting out.Įvery PC should be running a software firewall. Attacks are getting more sophisticated every day. It also tells you if one PC on your network is trying to infect other PCs, retrieve data from them surreptitiously, or use uninfected PCs to break out to the Internet. A firewall that catches malicious outbound packets tells you if your PC has been turned into a zombie, and it’s spewing spam or Denial of Service attacks. It also adds an extra layer of protection for your own home or office network. Each type of firewall has its pros and cons, as you can see in Table 51-1.īlocking bad outbound data isn’t merely an exercise in good Internet citizenship. But it doesn’t even try to catch bad data that’s headed out. (Unless you’ve disabled it, anyway.) Windows Firewall does a good job of playing traffic cop with incoming data. If you have Windows XP Service Pack 2, you’re running Windows Firewall. Software firewalls run on the computer that’s connected to the Internet. Typically, you can change settings on the firewall by using Internet Explorer.

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They’re difficult to update because you have to change the firmware inside the hardware box. D-Link and LinkSys both offer good stand-alone hardware firewalls for about $50. Many DSL and cable routers, and Internet address sharing boxes (see Technique 45) include their own built-in firewalls. Hardware firewalls are built into a box that connects directly to the Internet. For the home and small office user, firewalls fall into two broad categories: A computer firewall is more like a harried cop at a busy intersection than a solid wall. The term firewall evokes an image of an impregnable barrier between your computer and the Internet.

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This technique explains why the built-in firewall in Windows XP Service Pack 2 may not be the best choice, how to set up a free-for-personal-use firewall from Zone Alarm, and how to configure Zone Alarm quickly and correctly the first time. If your firewall doesn’t warn you about bad outgoing traffic, you have no way of telling when your PC starts spewing millions of spam messages, or launches a Denial of Service attack on a Web page. If you were infected before you got Service Pack 2 installed, or while you have a momentary lapse in Windows Firewall’s protection for whatever reason, your PC may have been turned into a zombie - under the silent control of someone else. While it’s much more important that you keep the bad guys out, once they’ve jumped over the fence and infected your machine, it’s important to keep them from spreading their offal all across the Internet. I guess Microsoft ran out of money when they were building Windows Firewall. You may be surprised to know that most firewall programs also block outgoing traffic if it looks suspicious. Windows Firewall, which ships with Windows XP Service Pack 2, does a good job of blocking bad inbound traffic (although the interface makes it harder than it should be - see Technique 50). You probably know that a firewall watches incoming Internet traffic and makes sure that the bad guys stay out. Installing and using Zone Alarm, if you need it Understanding Windows Firewall’s shortcomings