Chapter 11. Securing Your Standalone PC: Broadband Connections

As we saw in Chapter 10, “Understanding Your PC Operating System and Its Security Features,” many security features are inherent in each operating system, to greater or lesser degrees. Utilizing these security options is a definite necessity, but you might want additional security functions as well. As we have been continuously discussing, the easy access that consumers have to the Internet makes for an easy target. Internet service providers (ISPs) do not provide security features with the broadband connections they sell (Digital Subscriber Line [DSL], cable modem, and satellite); it is up to individuals to protect themselves. The term broadband usually refers to a connection that can carry at least 384Kbps from the Internet to your PC. In practical terms, we use it to describe connections through cable modems, DSL, satellite, and wireless connectivity from service providers. Much like the pioneers who settled the West in the United States, today's consumers are settling new territory in cyberspace. With new frontiers come new dangers. The dangers discussed in Chapter 5, “Illegal Threats to Individual Privacy,” must be addressed if people are to keep their home connections secure.

Another danger to keep in mind is the advent of wireless technology. This new method of connecting to the Internet has its own dangers. You must realize that whether you are at home, at the office, or traveling with your wireless laptop, the Internet provides threats from all directions. With a connection to the Internet, you are a target for attack. As we have seen with worms and viruses in the news, threats come from more directions than just hackers. Personal firewalls are effective weapons against those who would invade your personal domain via your Internet connections. (Firewalls are discussed in more detail later in this chapter.)

The home user connects in most cases via high-speed access using DSL or cable modem, and to an increasingly lesser degree, dial-up. Satellite and wireless connectivity are also available, but these are minor and we will not concentrate on them. We will focus on connectivity via cable modem and DSL because that is the spreading technology. However, the security features we will discuss can be applied to any system no matter the connectivity type.

In the corporate environment, any company that does not have a firewall in place is asking to be hacked. Firewalls provide inbound and outbound security controls that attempt to secure the complex applications that are needed in business. The corporate environment has already been educated about the need for firewalls. Now that consumers have such extensive and complex access to the Internet, they must be educated about the needs for personal firewalls. As we have discussed in earlier chapters, consumers are now a target for attack both from a technical standpoint and from a personal information standpoint. Your home computer is a treasure trove for the right attacker, and you need to protect it diligently.

In this chapter, we will discuss several different personal firewalls that can be used to protect your PC and your private information. Several different scenarios will be examined for ways that firewalls can be configured and when to use different features. DSL, cable, and dial-up connections each provide different pros and cons for Internet connectivity and firewall use. The type of connection and type of software that is best for you is debatable, but we will endeavor to provide you with practical advice that will assist you in making a choice by walking through the setup of several firewalls and showing you how that can benefit you by increasing your home security.