Privacy Watch: Intruders at the Modem?

Wandering the Internet over a cable modem or DSL connection may seem like a joyride, but it could turn into a car wreck if you don't take steps to protect your PC. To prevent outsiders from accessing their computers, most users turn to firewalls.

Firewalls like ZoneAlarm and BlackICE PC Protection are valuable tools that can protect your data even if you haven't installed all the latest security patches for your applications. They can also stop some kinds of attacks that Windows wasn't designed to withstand. A properly configured firewall will withhold all information about your PC from any potential intruder--the snoop won't even know you exist.

So Many Warnings

A firewall is supposed to make you feel safe, but it can make you feel more paranoid than you were before you installed the software. Many firewalls don't just block outsiders--they tell you every time someone scans your computer. The frequent notices can make it seem as if dozens of hackers and cybercriminals are clamoring to get into your hard drive daily.

But don't yank the broadband connection from your wall. The scans that firewalls block are always happening. Even if you only occasionally surf the Web and check e-mail, your PC is bombarded by queries constantly--some benign, others more threatening. Some people call these scans the white noise of the Net.

Here is one type of false alarm that's common: More software companies are taking advantage of users' always-on connectivity to automatically update their products. To some firewalls, such updates--which are initiated by the software without any user intervention--look as bad as a malicious Trojan horse program.

Tearing Down Walls

These alerts may cause people to be fearful when they go online, or even induce users to disable their firewalls. That would be a mistake, because firewalls are critical to protecting your privacy, and they will only become more so as time goes on.

How do you know when to worry? First, carefully read the warnings. If your firewall is warning you about a trustworthy program you're running, you probably need not be too concerned. Beyond that, some education is in order. One good place to start is at SecurityFocus's site, which publishes an online primer for novice firewall users, introducing the key concepts you need to know about the software's function and its warnings.

But in the end, we need smarter firewalls that are easier to set up and that bring only truly urgent news to our attention. What we have now are firewalls crying out like Chicken Little every time their users connect to the Internet--and such constant false alarms don't help anyone.