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How do hackers operate?
Hackers run software on very powerful machinery which probes
all known IP addresses for open ports.
An open port is a gate through which your computer
and the software running on it communicate with the outside
world, be it through browsers, on-line games or other
on-line activities. |
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What is an IP address? |
Every computer that communicates
over the Internet is assigned an IP address that uniquely
identifies the device and distinguishes it from other
computers on the Internet. Your IP address is the sole
identifier of your system on the internet. The format of an
IP address is a 32-bit numeric address written as four
numbers separated by periods.
How can you find out what your current IP address is?
We've written some code into this
page that will display your IP address
for you.
Don't worry, we're not hacking your computer. This
information is readily available to anyone and there are
sites all over the Internet that will display your IP
address.
Your IP
address is... |
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What if you use a dialup
connection? |
If you have a dialup connection,
the chances of anyone attacking your system are extremely
low, but it can happen. A
dial-up connection means you are only on line for limited
durations and you will seldom have the same IPaddress each
time you connect.
Because providers
of dial-up services allocate another IP address each
time you connect, your IP address is rarely the same.
If you have extremely important and/or sensitive information
on your computer you may want to use a firewall with your
dialup connection.
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What if you use a high speed
connection? |
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If you have a high-speed
connection and your computer or home network is connected
for a good length of time, it could be that some software
you are using leaves certain ports open and unguarded. The
tools used by the hackers to probe for these ports notify
them of this and lets them try to gain control of your
computer through the open port. You should seriously
consider installing a firewall.
High Speed connections are
different because the computers often stay connected
permanently or for longer periods (always on) and the
allocated IP address often doesn't change for a long time.
Cable modem and DSL connections usually maintain the same IP
address for days, weeks, or even years.
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How do firewalls work? |
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Firewalls are designed to
protect you from outside attempts to access your computer,
either for the purpose of eavesdropping on your activities,
stealing data, sabotage, or using your machine as a means to
launch an attack on a third party. The vast majority of
firewalls can’t protect you from virus attack.
Because most firewalls won’t
fend of viruses, anti-virus software is also needed.
Firewalls can be implemented
using both hardware and software, or a combination of both.
Basically, the way a firewall works is that it sits between
your cable modem or DSL and your computer and watches the
network traffic going in and out of it. Firewalls monitor
network conversations and filter out unauthorized traffic
and traffic that exhibits certain suspicious behavior or
characteristics.
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What are the differences
between a software and a hardware firewall? |
A software firewall
runs on your computer system in the background. It
intercepts each network request and determines if the
request is valid or not.
Advantages...
- Very affordable
- Usually easy to configure
Disadvantages...
- Uses
resources from your system to run
firewall (CPU, memory and disk space).
- Can cause incompatibilities in
your operating system.
- You must install the exact,
correct version for your operating system.
- Need to purchase one copy for
each system on your home network.
A hardware firewall
is generally a small box which sits between your computer
and your modem.
Advantages...
- Tend to provide more complete
protection than software firewalls
- Can protect more than one system
at a time
- Do not effect system performance
since they don't run on your system.
- Are independent of your
operating system and applications.
Disadvantages...
- Usually more expensive
- More of a challenge to
configure.
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Should you install a
firewall? |
Think of it in terms of
insurance... if the cost of setting up a firewall is less
than what you would lose if your
system were attacked, then you probably should install one.
Only you can analyze the risk you take. How probable is it
that someone would want to attack your system, and what
would you lose if it happened? Do you have sensitive
information on your computer?
There are a number of companies that make firewall products.
For additional information as well as product reviews,
purchasing and downloads, visit
http://www.cnet.com and do
a search for
firewalls.
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