Hacker-Proof Your Computer
Why Do I need a Firewall?
Without a firewall, your computer is operating with an "open door" policy. Bank account information, passwords, credit card numbers, virtually any sensitive information on your computer becomes available to hackers. Hackers can get in, take what they want, and even leave one of their own "back doors" in place for ongoing access to your computer whenever they like.
| Hacker Activities Beware of these actions designed to steal from you or damage your computer. |
Stopped by ZoneAlarm Firewall |
Stopped by Antivirus (alone) |
Stopped by Default Windows Firewall* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hacking into your computer through open ports |
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| Disguising hacking as harmless network interactions on your computer |
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| Scanning your computer for ports and security holes that can be hacked into |
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| Spoofing programs to create fake versions that can be used in an attack # |
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** | |
| Installing unknown spyware that sends your data (account numbers, passwords, etc.) to hackers |
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| Installing rootkits that give the hacker hidden access to your computer |
(paid versions only) |
** | |
| Taking control of a good program (by code injection) for theft, downloading viruses, etc. |
(paid versions only) |
More Information
* Default configuration of Windows Firewall. Outbound Firewall can be turned on, but some expertise is required to configure it and respond to alerts it generates.
# ZoneAlarm MD5 program validation detects spoofed programs.
**Partial: With behavioral detection, some antivirus solutions may recognize some program impersonators and unknown malware. Good antivirus solutions can detect rootkits by deep system scans, but antivirus typically cannot block a rootkit from installing.