A firewall is software designed to prevent unauthorized access to or from your computer. Firewalls can be implemented in both hardware and software, or a combination of both. Firewalls are frequently used to prevent unauthorized Internet users from accessing private networks connected to the Internet. Messages entering or leaving the intranet pass through the firewall, which examines each message and blocks those that do not meet the specified security criteria. A firewall is a must if you spend any time online!

A firewall completely hides your computer from hackers and will make it appear that your computer is not connected to the Internet. Not having a firewall makes you susceptible to very bad things like: browser hijacking, credit card information captured, passwords captured, viruses, etc.

Zone Alarm is a fantastic Free Firewall!! You can easily monitor all incoming and outgoing traffic to and from your pc. When new programs try to access the Internet a window pops up to ask you if the program is allowed to access the Internet. Zone Alarm is easy to install and you can capture the IP of a potential hacker and send it to abuse@yourISP.com. If you don't have a firewall it's only a matter of time before you become the victim of a hacker!