Review

Norton Personal Firewall 2000

By Mike Oliveira Cyberwalker Media Syndicate

Network security is an issue that can no longer be avoided.

If the likes of CNN and eBay are susceptible to attack, it's clear that anyone and everyone is at risk. For a small business with security concerns but a limited budget, Norton's Personal Firewall 2000 is an option worth considering.

The advent of wide-spread high speed Internet access has opened a new security hole. Any mischievous teenaged hacker can quickly spot an unguarded computer or network and exploit its weakness to cause harm. Either your computer can be taken down or it can be used as a pawn in a large-scale attack.

Personal Firewall 2000 is part of Norton's Internet Security 2000 suite designed to stop such problems. It's the right choice for a small business that can't afford the whole package but still needs some protection. The full suite also includes anti-virus protection and controls to block inappropriate content on the Internet. But with Personal Firewall 2000, your computer will be sufficiently guarded from outside attacks. The application stays resident, running in the background at all times while you're connected to the Internet. Dial-up modem connections are not as risky because they are not constantly online and offer less bandwidth to a hacker.

While connected to the Internet, Personal Firewall 2000 intercepts any incoming transmissions it deems dangerous. You can change the security settings so that you can get warned about risks more or less often. You can also configure special rules for different kinds of communications. Web cameras, for example, use a port that would normally be blocked. But you can easily configure it to become an exception to the set rules.

During testing, it took less than 12 hours before Personal Firewall 2000 stepped in to stop a potentially dangerous situation. A Trojan horse was successfully intercepted, stopping what could have been destructive. About 24 hours later, another incident occurred, another attempted Trojan horse attack. The problems are real and not exaggerated.

All events are logged so you can see exactly what happened and when. You can also get the Internet address of the attack's originator in case you'd like to file a report to your Internet provider. Unfortunately, hackers usually cover their tracks but they can be caught. You also have privacy protection to prevent the leak of sensitive information onto the Internet.

Firstly, your Web browser will not deal with cookies unless your privacy settings allow it. Cookies are small text files that give Web sites information every time you visit. It could reveal something harmless but cookies can also reveal more than you'd like to share about your online habits.

You can also prevent Web sites from obtaining valuable information you'd like to keep private. From credit card numbers and bank account information to account passwords, you can register confidential information with Personal Firewall 2000 so it gets blocked. If anyone tries to send the blocked information through a Web site, the process is halted and there is no privacy breach. Any computer constantly connected to the Internet is at risk.

You never know when a hacker will randomly pick you as the next target. Personal Firewall 2000 will act as your computer's doorman, letting in whom you want and keeping out the shady characters. It's an affordable, effective protection package to deal with Internet threats.

Reviewer's rating: 4.25 / 5

Comments: An affordable solution to keep hackers away from your PC. For a few dollars more, you can upgrade to the full Internet Security suite but this application covers your most basic needs.

Minimum system requirements: A Pentium PC, Windows 95 and up. 32 MB of RAM (48 for Windows 2000), 10 MB of hard drive space, a CDROM drive, an Internet connection

Price: $49.95 US, $74.99 Canadian

More info: http://www.symantec.com/sabu/nis/npf