I perhaps need to edit this thread... hehe.... as some of it is me getting a bit angry.... but I did apologize and ask that he overlook it......

we had a bit of a problem between ourselves in the past.... most of my problem within this thread is that he was so eager to prove me wrong and yet offer no help publicly.....

alas.. I am human.... and sadly I get angry when someone belittles me.....

I still want to know about the firewall...

simplest terms ....
a firewall is a program or a device that protects your computer from outside interferece by another user or program.

every program, perpherial device, or peice of hardware used for communications requires a "port" to transmit/receive data thru.

example...your e-mail uses a POP3 and and SMTP service to transmit and receive data. These ports are 110 and 25 respectively.

Depending on the type of firewall you have or the security you feel you need, the firewall's job is to monitor or control the flow of data thru these ports. This can prevent access to your machine form outside sources.

The main point to remember about computer systems is that if you are connected to the outside world, you are vulnerable. PERIOD. If someone wants a peice of you bad enough, you aren't gonna stop them. the premise behind the firewall is to make it more trouble for a hacker then the data they obtain is worth. Why spend hours trying to hack a computer system to steal someone MP3's of Barry Manilow?

for the average user, a personal firewall such as the free version of ZoneAlarm is adaquate. They offer a slightly better version called ZoneAlarm Pro that is fairly good. Norton or MacAfee offer personal firewall software as well. Or if your a little more advanced, try BlackIce Defender....not quite a firewall but more an Intrusion Detection system (IDS). It notifies you if someone tries to get in and allows you to boot them from your system.

Does this help?

Almost forgot...

A firewall does not cost anything extra to run. Most software and firmware updates are free. There is not a subscription charge as with antivirus software.

Someone with reason speaks up

I tried to get that point across yet it seems I did a very bad job of it....... it is exactly how you describe it though..... the only reason someone would spend hours doing it is for revenge or perhaps you have been pinpionted as having those barry manilow mp3s and someone wants to destroy them so as they will not be shared any further hehe....

Depends on the hacker and the system they are after.

Most hackers are basicly harmless and only looking to see if they can access your system. They do it just to say they can. They are likely to copy info or make a slight change as proof to their friends that they were there.

Others are after money by stealing information and selling it or are out to destroy your info so you can't profit from it. About 1 year ago there was a security company that specialized in hacking into companies networks then scheduling appointments with management to show what they had accessed then charging massive amounts of money to fix the holes they found. They were arrested when it was shown that part of the presentation they used contained information they had stolen from several Government websites they had hacked and took screen captures of to prove they could do it.

The worse is someone with a personnal grudge against you. I know a 16 year old girl that was caught and arrested for hacking into someone's business and messing with the finacial records because his son had been cheating on her.

I have been learning this stuff for awhile now and am getting my Bacholer's degree in Information Systems Security. A degree in computer hacking so I can learn how a hacker thinks and how to keep them out. It has been a lot of fun

and anyone with a collection of Barry Manilow MP3's probabley deserves to have them erased anyway. for the sake of humanity

Awww, but barry's kewl man........

now your scaring me

LMAO... but he is... mandi... you came and you gave without taking...

MAKE THE BAD MAN STOP!!!!!




that just ain't right

LOL anti hacker song.. LOL

or a close aproximation thereof.....

work is so slow today....get to take Natalie to work tonight then watch the babalooie till 2:30 when she gets home. And i started at 5:30 this morning

geeze, your life is too busy.. so how did birthday night go?

Marquell went to the hospital with Pneumonia...rapid onset bacterial. He spent ht enight in Primary's. I walked there from 90th south when I got off work...couldn't catch a ride and nat ahd my truck to get Babalooie to the hospital.

made for a long night.

Damn, gonna start a thread in journals? would make for good reading..LOL

what I can put in there ... not everything in my history is suitable for publication..... Uncle sam wouldn't approve