Closing Open Firewall Holes

Closing Open Holes:-

With the spread of Hackers and Hacking incidents, the time has come, when not only system administrators of servers of big companies, but also people who connect to the Internet by dialing up into their ISP, have to worry about securing their system. It really does not make much difference whether you have a static IP or a dynamic one, if your system is connected to the Internet, then there is every chance of it being attacked.

This manual is aimed at discussing methods of system security analysis and will shed light on as to how to secure your standalone (also a system connected to a LAN) system.

Firewall

A firewall

is a software program or piece of hardware that helps screenout hackers, viruses, and worms that try to reach your computer over the Internet.

NOTE: A firewall is essential, but you also needantivirus software andantispyware software.

•	If you use a computer at home, the most effective and important first step you can take to help protect your computer is to turn on a firewall.
•	If you have more than one computer connected in the home, or if you have a small-office network, it is important to protect every computer. You should have a hardware firewall (such as a router) to protect your network, but you should also use a software firewall on each computer to help prevent the spread of a virus in your network if one of the computers becomes infected.

(If your computer is part of a business, school, or other organizational network, you should follow the policy established by the network administrator. In some cases, network administrators may configure all computers on the network so that you cannot turn on the firewall while your computer is connected to the network. In those cases, you should ask your network administrator for guidance on whether you need a firewall on your computer.)