Personal Firewall

If it is just for home use; i use Zone Alarm. Which is a free download from www.zonealarm.com.
There are others out there that work and do more but it depends on what you want. If it just for home use then use Zone Alarm.

As a home user you whould not be a target, unless you know that someone is after you any program out there should be enough.
Using a firewall on your computer slows down your compuer. For that reason I whould recommend using a DSL/Cable router which all of them use NAT which makes it safe. Plus you get the option to connect more than one computer to the internet with the same connection. The price is also cheaper than most software out there.

Anyone who has their PC online for extended periods of time should run a firewall of some sort.
I run a 1gig box with ZoneAlarm (free for personal use)and have not had any noticable slow downs. I have tested my ports using ShieldsUP from www.grc.com and my system is completly stealthed.

If you need a best personal firewall - you should get yourself AtGuard 3.22 - none other can do it's work that good. What's more it contains Ads and Cookie blocking, Java and ActiveX filters and so on, so it can really make your PC safer in I-net.
But to use it you'll need a good knowledge of TCP and UDP ports and where you need to block or allow Java and so on - this program is quite complicated in use.
If you need a easy to use and simple soft - choose ZoneAlarm (but don't expect a great security).

Regards,
Ivan

I think your question has already been answered, but I just had to respond because I would STRONGLY disagree with answer number 2. Your always-on, high speed cable connection makes you a prime target for a hacker to take over your computer and use it as a slave-zombie.

I believe you can find reviews of personal firewall software at www.grc.com. I personally would go with Zonealarm as it is usually rated far above others and the price (free!) is right.

Actually the address for ZoneAlarm is www.zonelabs.com

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