Internet Security Suite Step 1: Comod Personal Firewall

The first step I recommend to protect your computer from outside threats is to install a software firewall. A software firewall is an application that monitors communication to and from your computer, and allows or denies that communication depending on rules that are automatically generated and or created by you. My choice for a firewall is Comodo Personal Firewall (which also seems to be known as Comodo Firewall Pro). Here's why I like it:

• Provides solid security;
• Does a good job of autogenerating rules;
• Is pretty straightforward for defining your own rules;
• I can get it to work with applications such as Shareaza.
  

About that last point: previously, I used the firewall that came with the commercial ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite, and no matter what I tried, I couldn't configure it to allow Shareaza to function properly. I thought it might be my router, or the program itself, but when I switched to Comodo, I was able to configure it correctly right away. The latest version of Comodo Personal Firewall has a new component called Defense+. This monitors how the components, programs and files on your computer interact with each other, and provides another level of protection. For example, Defense+ might notice an program trying to modify files in a specific directory, which, if you're not familiar with the program, could be an indicator of some unauthorized activity.

One warning: once you have installed Comodo Personal Firewall, and you begin using your computer, expect to get a lot of allow/deny warning messages every time you open a new program. By allowing or denying the activity, you're helping the firewall develop rules for your computer. It should be pretty straightforward about when to allow or deny. If you're starting a program, you'll want to allow, etc. In time, these warnings will tail off dramatically, once the firewall has learned about the other programs on your computer.