Windows XP Security Tips - Enabling and Disabling Windows Firewall

Computer threats are numerous and the consequences of an attack on your computer's security can be severe. But the good news is that it's relatively simple to protect your computer. You can check the security settings that help protect your computer to make sure your computer is secure. The three most important security settings are: Firewall, Automatic Updates and Virus Protection.

Your first line of defense in securing your computer is to protect it from attacks by outsiders. Windows XP comes with firewall software that is turned on automatically. The firewall software provides a barrier between your computer and the network to which is connected by preventing unauthorized people or unwanted programs, such as viruses, from accessing your computer through the Internet or a network.

Windows regularly checks Microsoft's Web site for the latest important updates for your computer and downloads and installs the updates automatically. (Provided you have automatic updates turned on) Windows also checks to see if your computer is using an anti virus program and whether the program is up to date. A virus can cause a variety of problems, such as the appearance of annoying messages or the destruction of information.

Follow the step by step instructions to enable or disable your Windows firewall protection. To view the instructions with guided screenshots you can visit our website and click on PC Tips, and select Security Tips.

Step 1

Click on Start menu and select Control Panel.

Step 2

In the Control Panel window Select Security Center to view and manage your security settings.

Step 3

The Windows Security Center appears and displays the status of your Firewall setting.

Step 4

You can turn Firewall On/Off by clicking Windows Firewall at the bottom of the Windows Security Center window. In the Windows Firewall dialog box select your choice and click on OK.

For more Windows Tips, including performance, customization, maintenance, recovery, efficiency, networking and registry tips, all with step by step instructions and guided screenshots, be sure to be visit our website and begin to unleash your computers potential.

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What is a Computer Firewall?

A firewall is a part of a computer system or network that is designed to block unauthorized access while permitting authorized communications. It does this by filtering out the data sent by attackers.

There are two main types of firewalls.

Hardware Firewalls
Software Firewalls

A hardware firewall is generally considered to be more secure than a software firewall. This is because a software firewall is integrated into the vulnerable operating system of the target machine. Whereas a hardware firewall uses an obscure proprietary operating system programmed by the manufacturer.

Since the software firewall is more common this post will cover the following details of firewall software.

Functions
Configuration
Types

Functions of Firewall Software:

The function of firewall software within a network is similar to that of a building with fire doors. Just as a firewall of a building is meant to prevent the fire from spreading to adjacent building structures, firewall software prevents intruders and malware from infecting your computer or network.

Firewall software permits the flow of relevant data and blocks all irrelevant and suspicious data from entering. Relevant files such as legitimate communications, video files, music files, or photo files which are retrieved while browsing or surfing on Internet, are allowed to enter into your computer or network.

Irrelevant or bad data such as hacker scripts or programs that are placed on the Internet to corrupt important files, steal personal information, or hijack your system are blocked. Hackers generally attempt to invade computer files through your computer's ports.

A Firewall forms a protective layer and takes the responsibility of monitoring your computer ports. It also regulates the flow of incoming and outgoing data. It acts as a barrier to hackers.

Many people have the misconception that antivirus software is completely protecting their computers from hackers. However, antivirus software can fail to protect your computer against severe hacker attacks.

Regardless of the type of Internet connection (dial-up, DSL, or broadband connection), your computer is at great risk while it is hooked up to the Internet.

Many software firewalls come with a user interface that is easy to understand and preset security levels. In addition, hardware firewalls are incredibly secure and not very expensive. Home versions that include a router, firewall and ethernet hub for broadband connections can be found for well under $100.

Proper Configuration of Firewall:

Firewall software can be worthless if it is not properly configured. Standard security procedure usually follows a default DENY rule. Which means that only selected network connections are allowed. Unfortunately, use of such a configuration requires a thorough knowledge of your network's application and its end points, and the day-to-day activities of your organization.

Deficient of such knowledge, many businesses therefore use a default ALLOW rule. This rule blocks only specified traffic and allows the flow of non-specified traffic. Such a configuration can cause unwanted network connections and the system is also more susceptible to being compromised.

Your best bet is to read the documentation and instructions and configure your firewall according to the needs of your organization or network. Additionally, you should periodically review the logs to see who has been trying to connect to your network and adjust your firewall's setting accordingly to mitigate new threats.

Once you have a firewall in place, you should test it. A great way to do this is to go to http://www.grc.com and try their free Shields Up! Security test. You will get immediate feedback on just how secure your system is.

The author is a computer security professional with experience protecting small business and home networks. He also teaches the basics of computer network security at 365 Computer Security Training where he blogs regularly and creates video training and educational materials related to information security. Learn more at http://www.365ComputerSecurityTraining.com

How to Test Your Firewall

You may have turned your PC's or Wireless Router's firewall feature on at some point, but how do you know if it's really doing its job?

The main purpose of a personal network firewall is to keep whatever is behind it safe from harm (and by harm I'm talking about hackers and malware).

If implemented correctly, a network firewall can essentially make your PC invisible to bad guys. If they can't see your computer, then they can't target you for network-based attacks.

Hackers use port scanning tools to scan for computers with open ports that might have associated vulnerabilities, providing them with backdoors into your computer. For instance, you may have installed an application on your computer that opens an FTP port. The FTP service running on that port might have a vulnerability that was just discovered. If a hacker can see that you have the port open and have the vulnerable service running, then they could exploit the vulnerability and gain access to your computer.

One of the major tenants of network security is to only allow ports and services that are absolutely necessary. The less ports open and services running on your network and/or PC, the less routes hackers have to try and attack your system. Your firewall should prevent inbound access from the internet unless you have specific applications that require it, such as a remote administration tool.

You most likely have a firewall that is part of your computer's operating system. You may also have a firewall that is part of your wireless router.

It is usually a best security practice to enable "stealth" mode on the firewall on your router. This helps to make your network and computer less conspicuous to hackers. Check your router manufacturer's website for details on how to enable the stealth mode feature.

So how do you know if your firewall is actually protecting you from the bad guys?

You should periodically test your firewall. The best way to test your firewall is from outside your network (i.e. the Internet). There are many free tools out there to help you accomplish this. One of the easiest and most useful available is ShieldsUP from the Gibson Research website. ShieldsUP will allow you to run several different ports and services scans against your network IP address which it will determine when you visit the site. There are four types of scans available for from the ShieldsUP site:

File Sharing Test

The file sharing test checks for common ports associated with vulnerable file sharing ports and services. If these ports and services are running it means that you could have a hidden file server running on your computer, possibly allowing hackers access to your file system

Common Ports Test

The common ports test examines the ports used by popular (and possibly vulnerable) services including: FTP, Telnet, NetBIOS, and many others. The test will tell you whether or not your router or computer's stealth mode is working as advertised.

All Ports and Services Test

This scan tests every single port from 0 to 1056 to see if they are open (indicated in red), closed (indicated in blue), or in stealth mode (indicated in green). If you see any ports in red you should investigate further to see what is running on those ports. Check your firewall setup to see if these ports have been added for some specific purpose.

If you don't see anything in your firewall rules list regarding these ports, it could indicate that you have malware running on your computer and it's possible that your PC may have become part of a bot net. If something seems fishy, you should use an anti-malware scanner to check your computer for hidden malware services

Messenger Spam Test

The Messenger Spam test attempts to send a Microsoft Windows Messenger test message to your computer to see if your firewall is blocking this service which can be exploited and used by spammers to send messages to you. This test is intended for Microsoft Windows users only. Mac/Linux users can skip this test.

Browser Disclosure Test

While not a firewall test, this test shows what information your browser may be revealing about you and your system.

The best results you can hope for on these tests is to be told that your computer is in "True Stealth" mode and that the scan reveals that you have no open ports on your system that are visible / accessible from the Internet. Once you have achieved this, you can sleep a little easier knowing that your computer is not holding up a big virtual sign that says "Hey! Pleas Attack Me."

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