Software
Review of: |
 High-speed
Internet connections like Time-Warner RoadRunner cable modems or Digital
Subscriber Network (DSL) have several advantages. The most obvious advantage
is, of course, a super-fast connection. A secondary advantage is that the
Intenet connection is always on, so there’s no need for your to dial it
up to get online. However, always being online confers a potential weakness:
your computer is more vulnerable to hackers, who can scan large numbers
of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses to see if it can find a weakness.
Commercial firms usually install protective programs called firewalls. These ward off common intrusions from Internet snoops, and are pretty good at it. But they are designed to be used on network servers, and cost big bucks. What can we poor users do to protect ourselves? And how much of a threat is there really? Are we truly in danger? The answer to the last question is definitely yes! Several personal firewall programs claim to protect a personal computer from intrusion over an Internet connection. One of the earliest such programs is called BlackICE Definder, which can be ordered online and downloaded to update the program as needed (hint: check at least every other week to see if there is an update). Described as ". . .an industrial grade dynamic firewall system that detects hackers, identifies them, and protects your PC from break-ins," BlackICE Definder (hereafter shortened to BlackICE) costs $40 as a download. A License Key unlocks the program, along with future updates. Installation is straightforward, and places an icon in the tray. You can configure BlackICE for four levels of security, from trusting to paranoid. I feel comfortable with the Nervous setting. When an intrusion is suspected, that icon starts to pulsate and change color, pretty effective notification. Clicking on the icon brings up a dialog box which shows a list of suspected Attacks. The tabs at the top of the window also show information about the type of attack, along with a numerical rating of how serious each attack is. Clicking on the AdvICE button brings up a help screen that tells you about each type of attack. A History tab shows both levels of attacks and network traffic over the past 90 days. If you look at my Attacks list, you will see that my computer is probed at least every other day, and sometimes two or three times in a single day. And I turn off my computer when I’m not using it! This is conclusive evidence of why you need a personal firewall program. Black Ice seemed to be providing good protection, except right after I upgraded to Windows 98 Second Edition, which rendered BlackICE inoperative. But a patch soon restored functionality, as well as teaching me a lesson to upgrade the program often. To really test how well BlackICE works, I logged onto Steve Gibson’s site, which simulates attacks on your individual computer. After running the tests, I got the following readings:
Several other personal firewall programs are now available, but BlackICE seems to be doing a good job for me. Steve Gibson is currently recommending one called ZoneAlarm 2.0, which is free, and available on his Web site. Whichever one you choose, I strongly recommend you get some protection for any Internet user, but especially one with a high-speed, always-on connection. You can order online and download BlackICE at <www.networkice.com>.
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