Firewall:

The primary method for keeping a computer secure from intruders. A firewall allows or bocks traffic into and out of a private network or the user's computer. Firewalls are widely used to give users secure access to the Internet as well as to separate a company's public Web server from its internal network. Firewalls are also used to keep Internal network segments secure; for example, the accounting network might be vulnerable to snooping from within the enterprise.

In the home, personal firewall typically comes with or is installed in the user's computer (see Windows Firewall). Advanced personal firewalls also detect outbound traffic to guard against spyware,k which could be sending your surfing habits to a Web site. It alerts you when software makes an outbound request for the first time (see spyware).

In the organization, a firewall can be a stand-alone machine or software in a router or server. It can be as simple as a single router that filters out unwanted packets, or it may comprise a combination of routers and servers each performing some type of firewall processing.

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Windows Firewall

The built-in firewall in Windows XP Service Pack 2. It provides a stateful inspection of packets which accepts only responses to requests originated by the user. This prevents outside requests for data from entering the computer, unless specifically allowed by the user. However, spyware programs are often clandestinely installed in a user's computer which then make seemingly legitimate requests that a stateful firewall will allow responses to. Windows Firewall superseded Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) and is turned on by default.

XP SP2 (Windows XP Service Pack 2)

A major security upgrade to Windows XP released in the summer of 2004. Included are numerous internal security patches as well as Windows Firewall, an enhanced version of the previous Internet Connection Firewall (ICF). Windows Firewall is turned on by default. SP2 also added a Windows Security Center control panel to provide a single source for antivirus, firewall and automatic update settings.

Spyware

Software that sends information about your Web surfing habits to its Web site. Often quickly installed in your computer in combination with a free download you selected from the Web, spyware transmits information in the background as you move around the Web. Also known as "parasite software," "scumware," "junkware" and "thiefware, spyware is occasionally installed just by visiting a Web site

The license agreement that everyone accepts without reading may actually state that you are installing spyware and explain what it does. For example, it might say that the program performs anonymous profiling, which means that your habits are being recorded, not you individually. Such software is used to create marketing profiles; for example, people who go to Web site "A" often go to site "B" and so on. Spyware may deliver competing products in realtime. For example, if you go to a Web page and look for a minivan, an ad for a competitor's vehicle might pop up.

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