A firewall can stop unauthorized access to the computer and prevent unauthorized programs from accessing the internet, but allowing an insecure program to access the Internet is a bit like leaving a bank vault door open and hoping the security guard inside (your AntiVirus/AntiSpyware protection) is tough enough to deal with the criminals which will inevitably show up.
Ensuring you have the latest updates for Windows and "all" the other software installed on your computer will protect your computer from many common security exploits and in essence close the door to the vault:
First, make sure you have enabled "Microsoft" Automatic Updates. The first step in ensuring your computer is up to date, is to make sure that the Windows Automatic Updates are turned on and that you are checking for "Microsoft" Updates as opposed to "Windows" Updates. Microsoft Updates will update the majority of Microsoft products (including Office) in one go, whereas Windows Updates generally only updates Windows itself. To enable checking for Microsoft Updates click open the link below in Internet Explorer and follow the prompts:
http://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate/v6/default.aspx
Second, scan for and update insecure programs. Checking for and updating insecure programs installed on your computer can be quite troublesome, but thankfully this task has been made significantly easier with the release of software scanning tools from Secunia, which scan your computer for unpatched and insecure programs:
Secunia Software Inspector program (free for home use):
http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/personal
Secunia Corporate Software Inspector (more advanced paid version for businesses):
http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/corporate/
Many users have also experienced fewer incidences of browser exploits using Mozilla Firefox as an alternative to Internet Explorer. Firefox, like Internet Explorer, has its share of security flaws but their patch release time is extremely fast, averaging 1-3 days, unlike Internet Explorer which has at times been weeks or even months before a patch was released. More information about Firefox can be found here:
http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/
* Users of alternate web browsers like Firefox still need to ensure that the plugins for their browser such as Flash, Acrobat, Java and QuickTime are always kept up to date.
As many security exploits target common web browsers and browser plugins, ZoneAlarm Extreme Security was released with the Browser Security feature in order to provide protection against these threats. The Browser Security provides protection for Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox and their plugins, by creating a virtual "bubble" around the web surfing session, protecting the computer from fraudulent websites, Phishing scams, Spyware websites, and dangerous downloads. If you aren’t already using it, you should seriously consider it.
If you would like to find out more information about ZoneAlarm Extreme Security, please click here:
http://www.zonealarm.com.au/main/products_zaxs.html
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