Why Should You Install a Firewall in Your Computer

You think your PC is secure because only you have access to it. You visit only secure sites. You do not open an email attachment without checking it for virus. Think again. Without proper protection for your system, when you go online, you are running the risk of malware and virus attacks. When you are online, clicking on that seemingly innocuous looking "check your computer for viruses" may lead to system malfunction, data theft and worse - losing your precious data for ever. For most of such ads are viruses and spyware in disguise waiting to take control of your system. When you use the search engines too the scores of sites that are listed may not be authentic ones. They may be designed to install a malware once you click anywhere in that site.

You cannot stop using the Internet, for the Internet holds large amounts of information and you use it at home and in business. Intelligence lies in knowing you are vulnerable when you connect to the Internet and taking precautions to protect your system.

So, what do you need to protect your data and system?

A firewall. A firewall can help you protect your system against hostile intrusions from the Internet by preventing unauthorized access to your system.

As you know, the Internet is a network of networks, and thousands of computers have access to your computer when you are online. Viruses can be written by anyone who has some programming skills. And you will have hundreds of them out there who think creating a virus is accomplishing something. So they spread the virus in the network and without a firewall in place, they have direct access to anyone on the Internet.

But with a firewall in your system, those malicious programs will have to return disappointed. For a firewall inspects and filters the information and all traffic routed between the Internet and your system to see if it meets certain security criteria. If it does, it is allowed otherwise it does not. A firewall is literally a protective fence that keeps off malicious programs from your system. That's why it s called a firewall.

Installing a firewall is easy and they are highly configurable. Sometimes it's frustrating to install a new program that you are not familiar with. In that case, you can get assistance from technical support providers for firewall installation and configuration. That shouldn't be costing you much. And once installed, they don't require much change in the settings - for most of us home users, it s safe enough to work with the default settings provided by the firewall program unless there is a specific need to change it.

With your PC protected by a firewall, you can relax, your PC is highly protected and there are no more security holes in your system to be exploited. You are secure!

Written by Thendral

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