Ensure Home Computer Security


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Old 01-12-09, 07:50 PM
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Ensure Home Computer Security

At my home, if I have a 2wire wireless router (4 yrs old), Sunbelt Software's VIPRE antivirus/antispyware combo and Zone Alarm's FREE downloadable firewall (Window's Defender firewall is turned off), is my computer secure or am I missing something?
 
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Old 01-12-09, 08:06 PM
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are you running any form of encryption on the router? Either WEP or WPA? Personally I'd go with Avast! free antivirus. It's stopped everything that's come into my computer. I'm not overly fond of Zone Alarm, but it will work for the most part. Your computer could be more secure...
 
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Old 01-12-09, 08:41 PM
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There are many ways to make your system secure.

- Most routers are set to allow certain ports in/out unless you open it all up, thus a hardware firewall.

- With wireless connections, just like Crazycory22 said, use either WPA or WEP encryption.

- You can go a step further if your router has it by using MAC Filtering. This will only allow computers (MAC Address) to be connected.

- Windows XP and I am sure Vista has a built in firewall program where you can allow/disallow programs and ports. With XP, you can find it by right clicking on the "My Network Places", and on the left side, click on "Change Windows Firewall Settings". You will then get a window with tabs at the top so that you can configure what you want to allow/disallow.

- Some Anti-virus programs come with an additional Firewall program. Again, you can set it up for allowing/disallowing ports etc.

Having all going will probably slow things down. I personally have the encryption of my router WPA, and the router is the firewall. The rest (XP Firewall & Anti-virus Firewall) is shut off. Again, that is the way I have done my setup. Others may disagree. It depends on how paranoid you are.
 
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Old 01-12-09, 10:16 PM
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With your router firewall (make sure it's on one of the higher settings, also I would make sure the router is up to date), and your zone alarm firewall as well as the antivirus, that's about as good as you can get or need.

Just be careful what sites you go to, what you click on, and what emails you open and you'll be fine.

If you want, install Spybot and use the "immunize" feature, this blocks bad sites for you, also you can add to that Spyware blaster. It has a large database of websites that it blocks.

Oh yeah, people keep saying to make sure you have WEP or WPA on your wireless.....please don't use WEP if you have the option for WPA. WEP is so poorly weak it's not even funny, and update of your router should make WPA available if it's not already.
 
 

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