Introduction

When the Internet was created, there actually weren't as many active hackers as there were today. And the reason for this? Simple: Software development and rush to get out software, that has not been completed yet fully. Example? Any Windows operating system.

Some and actually many people really don't have the need for a firewall. Those type of users are home users mostly, and even some business users. This rule has generally changed, these days, as software development is jumping up and down with the market in the rush to make money without the worry about customer satisfaction. Actually, what do those big companies or individuals want from you? Ever heard about SPYWARE? What is spyware you ask?

Spyware is ANY SOFTWARE which employs a user's Internet connection in the background without their knowledge or permission.

Silently it sends or/and receives data without the user knowing what it is, or where it is going.

ANY SOFTWARE communicating across the Internet absent these elements is guilty of information theft and is properly and rightfully termed: Spyware.

Preparing Firewall

By reading this article, you will find out which software or hardware firewall you will need to be secure on the Internet. You will need a firewall if you:

1. Your computer's files need to be accessed remotely across the Internet.

2. You are operating any sort of Internet server such as Personal Web Server.

3. You use any sort of Internet-based remote control or remote access program such as PC Anywhere, Laplink, or Wingate.

4. You want to properly and safely monitor your Internet connection for intrusion attempts.

5. You want to preemptively protect yourself from compromise by "inside the wall" Trojan horse programs like NetBus and Back Orifice.

Step 1) The first screenshot shows the single most important setting you will need to adjust before anything else. Go to your network settings by right clicking on your network neighborhood and selecting properties. Then, click on TCP/IP and go to the properties. Switch to the "bindings" tab and UNCHECK anything you see in there. You may be asked a question and you will need to select NO and click OK twice. Now go ahead and restart.

Step 2) After you are done with that and restarted, you will need to make sure that NetBIOS is not being used for TCP/IP. Uncheck the option you see below.

Step 3) Now you will need to do the same for ever other computer on your network. Skip to next step if you aren't on a network. Now we will need to test your computer to see how secure you are. Know that every security scan test always looks for the first IP address on a network to scan (example: 192.168.1.100), so if you do plan on installing a software firewall, which I recommend strongly, install it on the first computer. For a very good and simple to understand test, go to:

https://grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2

or

http://scanme.sygatetech.com/

Below is a screenshot of the results you want after installing a firewall which I will discuss later on. A 'stealth' result means no respond at all from a port on an ip address. An 'closed' result means that the ip address received the packet but did not send a notification back. An 'open' result means the ip address received the packet and send it back, meaning you are in big danger.