Home users take on computer hackers

In an age where information is not only a primary commodity but also a powerful weapon, cyberspace has become a dangerous place to be. The media coverage given to news of virus attacks and the dangers of being hacked have led to a rapid growth in demand for PC security products.

Regardless of whether you use a dial-up modem, cable modem, or some other form of internet access, you are potentially at risk from a hacker attack. Anti-virus software makes it easy to keep your system clean, but what can you do to prevent a hacker from messing with your PC?

"Firewalls" look set to become the next big software product to fly off the shelves of PC stores or to be downloaded from commercial websites, and may become as ubiquitous in home PCs as anti-virus software.

Until two months ago, PC World did very little business in personal firewall software but since then it has rocketed, according to marketing manager Ms Hilary Collen.

In the corporate world, firewalls are used to protect networks from unwelcome intruders. Firewalls are traditionally associated with hardware appliances that act as a filter between a computer network and the internet. They act as the gateway between the internet and a company's network of servers and workstations, and stop any unapproved or unspecified data from making it from one side to the other.

However, most of these traditional firewall devices cost more than a small office or home user can afford to spend on a security device, usually £3,000 (€3,800) or more, but most home users can use personal firewall software. This works with nearly every type of internet connection, including dial-up modems.

The software is installed on your computer and works like the expensive firewalls but on a much smaller scale. It monitors your system for incoming and outgoing data communications and, depending on settings, can prevent any computer on the "outside" from knowing your PC is even there.

A wide range of personal firewall products are available from companies such as Symantec, McAfee, Network Ice, Zone Labs and Computer Associates. Prices range from £20 to £50, making it a worthwhile investment for a home user.

A common reaction among home PC users might be: "Why would hackers bother to target me out of millions of other users?" Symantec, which manufactures the popular Norton brand of anti-virus and security software products, recently conducted a survey in Britain of 150 home PC users, who were given free personal firewall software in exchange for reporting back to the company on its effectiveness.

According to Mr Kevin Chapman, consumer director of Symantec, 95 per cent of customers reported that their PCs had been visited by a hacker.

Mr Chapman points out that being "visited" is different from actually being hacked. The firewall detected visitors, he said, but if the firewall was not in place, the risk of being hacked would have been much greater.

So does it not offer complete security? "There's no such thing as a 100 per cent security," says Mr Chapman. "If you had 100 per cent security, you simply wouldn't be able to do anything. You could never download files, allow someone else to use it, or even plug your PC in."

Using a combination of anti-virus and personal firewall software means that you are managing your risk much more effectively than without, he said.

Mr Chapman talks of the different motivations driving hackers to hack, including causing damage "like a modern-day graffiti artist", theft of passwords and other personal codes, and distributive hacking, which is using someone's PC as a base for launching an attack on other computer systems.

After reading this, you may no longer feel safe logging onto the internet, but considering such software means that more users are becoming profoundly aware of the risks involved and bringing their common sense into play, he says. Symantec also offers a free security "audit" of your PC from its website.

Firewalls have, reportedly, been tricky to set up in the past but the latest personal firewall software products are reported to be very user friendly and come with pre-set firewall rules; however, you can also set your own parameters to suit.

If you also wanted to update your anti-virus application as well as get a personal firewall, you could consider a combination package such as that offered by Computer Associates (CA). Called EasyArmour, it is designed for the individual user and contains not just a personal firewall but also anti-virus software and an application that analyses suspicious e-mail attachments.

Although personal firewalls are easy to set up, having the three applications working together as a package makes it even easier to configure, says CA security products manager Mr Martin Saunders, including having one password and login for all three applications. Even with all this, there is still the issue of obstructions and delays in operation that firewalls may create in the name of security but, given the risks now existing, it may be a sacrifice worth making.

"Firewalls may cause obstructions but you still need to consider security issues above all else," says Mr Saunders.

Rather than dealing in personal firewalls, 3Com deals with firewall appliances. However, it does offer a wireless access port for the home that has its own separate firewall.

Costing £350, it enables wireless internet access in the home or small office but contains within it the necessary firewall software.

Ultimately, choosing the type of protection you need really depends on the number of computers you need to protect and your type of connection.

If you have only one or two computers, and you connect using a dial-up modem on each one, a personal firewall is the best option.

If you are online more than one hour a day, do a lot of business over the internet, or will soon have an always-on connection via a cable modem or ADSL, it may be worth looking into an actual firewall appliance.