Re: COMPUTERS, LOVE HATE
A router IS a firewall by design. It's called a hard (hardware) firewall. There are 'soft' (software)firewalls too. Popular soft firwall programs are ZoneAlarm,BlackIce, etc. Hard router/firewalls like the Linksys BEFSR41 are very popular and don't cost a fortune. They protect your computer by blocking access TO your computer from the outside (the Web). Soft firewalls do basically the same thing but can block bad stuff from LEAVING your computer as well. You might ask, 'What would I want to block from leaving my computer??" Well , if you have spyware on your computer, it can stop access to the Web BY that program. I find it best to use both, a router AND a soft firewall program. Most hardware router/firewalls don't check to see what's leaving your computer, just what's trying to come in. <br /><br />Just for grins go here:<br />
https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2 <br />This site was created to show you how you may be vulernable to outside attack from hackers etc. At Shields Up, you can let them scan your commputer connection to the Web and look for problems and offers fixes. Steve Gibson (Shields Up site admin) explains the issues about web security. Best of all, this info is free.
