By Peter Daley
Get a good secure firewall on your Windows computer for free. For those who have no idea what a firewall is, it is like having a security guard at the entrance to a building, monitoring who is coming and going. The guard stops those entering the building who he sees as suspicious or dangerous, and prevents those leaving the building who may have broken in and be trying to steal something. A computer firewall basically a security guard for your computer.
Everyone, no matter what OS (Operating System) they are using, Windows, Linux or Apple, should be using a good secure firewall. Windows, from XP onwards, has the Windows firewall built into the OS. The stats suggest that the average Windows machine on the Internet without a firewall is hacked within minutes.
One of the club members recently sent me information about Virux, a new virus which is spreading through Windows computers, although mainly in north America at the moment. The interesting thing about this one is that it is reportedly bypassing the Windows in built firewall. You can greatly improve your Windows security by turning off the Windows Firewall, and using a free or commercial firewall instead. There are lots out there. The question is which one to use?
Here are two free excellently rated firewalls. Pick one and install it.
Comodo (If you are still using a dial up Internet connection I suggest you use Armor. I have found dial up problems when using Comodo on some systems.)
or
Because of the changing security environment, just like anti-virus software, the firewall has to be constantly updated and improved to protect you from the latest security issues. A lot of firewalls that are free or commercial are useless, and are not giving you any protection. Even though I recommend these two at present, their effectiveness can change with time. So I suggest you check the Matousec site to see where your firewall stands in the independent firewall testing ratings from time to time. (On the Matousec rating page look at the product rating mixed results list for the largest comparision of firewall products.)This is to make sure your firewall is actually effective against the latest threats. Take note of the version that is being rated. You may see the same firewall rated poor or excellent in different places in the rating lists. It is the version that is important, make sure you get the best rated version. Purchased versions of the firewalls will often give you extra features over the free version, and with some deals support you if you are having difficulties, or issues using the product.
If you are using one of the popular security suites which combine a anti-virus , anti-spyware and firewall in one product, and have found it rated a useless in the Matousec ratings list, then turn of the firewall feature in your security suite, and install one of the recommended firewall programs. You can’t have multiple firewalls running on your computer at the same time. Not only may they clash, they will drive you crazy with all the questions they will ask! Yes, modern Windows firewalls are constantly asking you questions, and more questions, on whether something should be, or not be allowed to change something on you computer. There is a firewall learning period. After it has been trained on what is safe, or not it will not ask as many questions. There are no easy answers to some of these questions.
These are the best general rules I can give you to deal with all those firewall questions.
If you are installing, un-installing or updating a software that has been virus checked or you know is safe, Allow / Remember it in the firewall pop up when asked. In Comodo, it will give you the option to select “Treat this as an Installer / Updater.” Select this option if the program fits the above program profile. If in doubt, temporarily block the program in the firewall pop up options box and do a search engine search, Google / Yahoo etc., to see if it is malicious. (To temporarily block the program in the firewall, select Block in the firewall pop up options box plus un-tick the Remember / Permanent option until you find out if it is malicious or not.)
Good luck in the present security environment, you need it 
in my opinion, using a Linux or Apple computer on the Internet, is a much more peaceful experience at present.
© peter Daley 2009