firewall

Wed
26
Jul
Dennis Faas's picture

Firewalls: Hardware and Software Solutions

[Continued from: Firewalls: Definition | Firewalls: A Brief Discussion ] Because of my need to test everything I share with the infopackets audience, I have spent a great deal of time evaluating various firewall packages. This kind of testing takes ... a lot of time. Installing each firewall and letting it work while I monitor it isn't hard work or anything, but it does take time -- sort of like watching grass grow, if you know what I mean. ;-) The process I followed included installation and configuration as well as some time to allow the firewall to actually do its intended job. That last part ... (view more)

Thu
20
Jul
Dennis Faas's picture

Firewalls: A Brief Discussion

As I was sitting here at my desk, a few things came to mind that I feel should be passed on to you. I have spent the past few months reading about firewalls on web sites and industry publications. Taken together, the subject is complex and ... confusing. Yet, only one point is clear in all the noise: you need a firewall if you ever decide to connect to the Internet. Period. The arguments start when the topic of what kind of firewall is best. Therefore, I figured the thing to do is try and clear away the confusion as best I can. First off, there are three different camps when it comes down to ... (view more)

Wed
19
Jul
Dennis Faas's picture

Firewalls: Definition

A firewall is a barrier to keep destructive forces away from your computer. In fact, that's why it's called a firewall. Its job is similar to a physical firewall that keeps a fire from spreading from one area to the next. Firewalls use one or more ... of three methods to control traffic flowing in and out of the network: Packet filtering: Packets (small chunks of data) are analyzed against a set of filters. Packets that make it through the filters are sent to the requesting system and all others are discarded. Proxy service: Information from the Internet is retrieved through the firewall and then ... (view more)

Tue
25
Apr
Dennis Faas's picture

Is it Safe to Try New Freeware?

How do you know which freeware is safe to download? The fact is that trying out new, free software is sometimes risky. For example: some web sites will purposely mislead visitors by implying that their software is free -- but in fact, the "free" ... software comes bundled with added Spyware or adware . One good rule of thumb is to stick to downloading software from trusted sources (such as infopackets and Clif Notes); but if you're like me and you're always trying out new software on a regular basis, you don't always have the luxury of trusting a source. That's when I break out the big ... (view more)

Wed
28
Dec
Dennis Faas's picture

Top 10 Must-Have PC Maintenance Utilities

Die-hard Infopackets Reader Paul B. writes: " Dear Dennis, I have been a faithful subscriber to your newsletter for a few years now. While I immensely enjoy reading your articles (especially the software reviews), I am constantly second-guessing ... myself as to which utilities *I* need to keep my system running smoothly. As a newbie, I would like to know how many of these 'fix all programs' are really necessary? For example, which utilities do I need for: speeding up, uninstalling, defragging, anti-Spyware, anti-spam, firewall, anti-virus, registry cleaning / fixing... etc. I mostly use my ... (view more)

Thu
01
Dec
Dennis Faas's picture

'Drive Image Xml', and 'Comodo Personal Firewall'

Drive Image Xml Easy to use and reliable program for imaging and backing up partitions and logical drives. The program allows you to: Backup logical drives and partitions to image files, Browse these images, view and extract files, Restore these ... images to the same or a different drive, Copy directly from drive to drive. Image creation uses Microsoft's Volume Shadow Services (VSS), allowing you to create safe "hot images" even from drives currently in use. Images are stored in XML files, allowing you to process them with 3rd party tools. Restore images to drives without having to reboot. ... (view more)

Tue
04
Oct
Dennis Faas's picture

PowerUp XP Platinum 2 Review

Great news! Just this past Wednesday, I received wind that Ashampoo has released their flagship tweak utility, "Powerup XP Platinum", version 2. Reminder: What is Ashampoo PowerUp XP Platinum? PowerUp XP Platinum takes the hassle out of optimizing ... and fine-tuning a Windows PC and combines everything into one easy to use, tidy package. Rated 5/5 by the editor's at Download.com, PowerUp XP Platinum 2 includes all the powerful features that made its predecessor the favorite tuning tool of many Windows users -- plus it adds many new terrific and unique features that yield even more ... (view more)

Thu
14
Jul
Dennis Faas's picture

'Easy Firewall Application', and 'Virtual Dub'

Easy Firewall Application Allows a user to set filter rules in local interfaces. http://www.codeproject.com/tools/firewallpapi.asp Virtual Dub VirtualDub is a video capture/processing utility for 32-bit Windows platforms (95/98/ME/NT4/2000/XP), ... licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL). It lacks the editing power of a general-purpose editor such as Adobe Premiere, but is streamlined for fast linear operations over video. It has batch-processing capabilities for processing large numbers of files and can be extended with third-party video filters. VirtualDub is mainly geared toward ... (view more)

Thu
07
Jul
Dennis Faas's picture

'Windows Firewall Away', and 'Microsoft Acrylic'

Windows Firewall Away If you like your firewall on only when you are away and want it off when you are on the keyboard, then this program does that. If your screensaver is on it will set your firewall on and if your screensaver is off it will set it ... off (under the Programs heading). http://nhgames.fre3.com/site/programs.htm Microsoft Acrylic Acrylic is the codename for an innovative illustration, painting and graphics tool that provides exciting creative capabilities for designers working in print, web, video, and interactive media (beta trial). http://www.microsoft.com/products/expression/ (view more)

Wed
16
Feb
Dennis Faas's picture

Track down and report a Hacker?

Happy Birthday to me! Today, I turn 30. Special thanks to those folks who noted my Birthday pre-announcement in the "today in History" section in Yesterday's newsletter. And now getting on with today's question, Infopackets Reader Roberta W. writes: ... " Dear Dennis, I'm having a heck of a time trying to figure out how to report a hacker that has been trying to hack in to my computer. I have 3 firewalls and plenty of antivirus software installed on my computer. I keep getting messages that dav.bay0.hotmail.com is 'sniffing' my communication ports, and is attempting to send me ... (view more)

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