There are two types of firewall: Hardware and Software.

• A hardware firewall is a physical device that the user must install between the cable modem and the PC. There are many style and types of these devices, but the devices all perform the same function.

• A hardware firewall acts similar to having another PC in the line between the main PC and the modem. The hardware firewall acquires the public IP from our servers and assigns a private IP to the PC. This means that when someone attempts to access the public IP they are actually accessing the firewall device, not the computer.

• Because the computer is assigned a private non-routable IP from the firewall someone accessing the firewall from the outside cannot access the PC.

• Software firewalls are programs that the user installs on the PC. There are a large number of vendors and the cost can range from free to several hundred dollars. The ease of configuration of software firewalls also varies greatly. AVG Software offers several products that include firewall protection such as:
  
  AVG Internet Security

  AVG Anti-Virus plus Firewall

• Once installed the firewall software will create security logs of suspicious activity. It will also prompt the user to provide permission to run certain programs that suggest unwanted activity as well as remembering which programs that are allowed.

• Operating systems such as Windows 7,Vista, and XP have service packs with built in firewalls. These firewalls are turned on by default to protect the PC from threats.

Further information on installing a firewall can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/security/articles/firewall.asp

For information on how to secure a home network go to
http://www.cert.org/tech_tips/home_networks.html

The user can test the firewall security by doing a remote scan of the system from Shields UP!! by Gibson Research (http://grc.com) or Sygate Online Services (http://sygatetech.com/).