I have windows 2000 and no firewall built in. Do I really need to buy a firewall software to protect

I have other protections such as anti-virus protection, anti-spy protection, pop-up blocker, and mail protection.

I have windows 2000 and no firewall built in. Do I really need to buy a firewall software to protect my PC?panda

鈽呪槄 FIREWALLS 鈽呪槄

鈼?What is a firewall? This is a program that protects you from the dangers of the internet. It helps to stop adware, back doors, cookies, dialers, hijackers, key loggers, spyware, thiefware, trojan horses, viruses, worms, and zombie pcs and a host of other nasties getting into your computer. There are two types of firewalls. There are one-way and two-way firewalls. The one-way type stops most things from getting in. The two-way type stops things from getting in and stops the few that slipped through from reporting back to their owners.

鈼?The firewall that comes with Windows XP is a one-way. But it's better than nothing at all. To turn it on click the Start Menu %26gt; Control Panel %26gt; Windows Firewall. But I suggest that you don't use it. Instead do the following.

鈼?Every computer that is connected to the internet should be behind two firewalls. You should have both a hardware firewall (a router with a firewall built into it) and a software firewall.

鈼?Even if you never plan to network your home PC you should still use a router. The most common way for hackers to get into your computer is by using a port scanner program. It sends packets of data to your ip number and reports back to the owner if there are any vulnerable ports in your computer. Look for a router with a firewall with both SPI (Stateful Packet Inspection) and NAT (Network Address Translation). Most modern routers have this but be sure when you buy it. This type of router will slam the door on port scanners.

psychos ranting