There are three main things that protect your computer from harmful viruses and hackers:

1. An anti-virus program - to protect against viruses and harmful code which can "infect" your computer and corrupt information and/or cause your computer to crash.

2. A firewall - A program or piece of hardware designed to prevent hackers from gaining access to your computer to either steal information, or to use your computer to hack other people. Firewalls also stop malicious programs called "Trojan horses" from letting hackers take control of your computer. We strongly recommend to check Steve Gibson's Firewall Scoreboard, and while you are there, have a look at the "Leak test" page as well. Both provide up-to-date and very useful information. Don't miss it!

3. Common sense - A great deal of hackers and viruses could be stopped with just a little common sense. Knowing how viruses and hackers work is the only way to stop them from entering your computer

1. Go and test how secure your system is at http://www.grc.com/. There are a number of tests there to check if you have any security holes. You can also test your computer in a variety of ways at http://www.pcflank.com/. This test includes browser security, an exploits test and more. It can take quite a while though.

NanoProbe Technology Internet Security Testing for Windows Users
by Steve Gibson, Gibson Research Corporation.

Recommended rule-based firewalls

download/more info and screenshots: click the logo.

A very nice, small personal firewall. Although not freeware, it comes with a 30 day trial version.

Questions will be addressed in the official LooknStop forum.
Recommended commercial rule based firewall.

Kerio Personal Firewall is free for personal use. We consider it the best freeware rule based firewall available at the moment.
Recommended free rule based firewall.

download/more info: click the logo

Tiny Personal Firewall is free for personal use. Although not performing badly, we recommend using Kerio instead.

fast download; click the logo above

Zone Alarm Pro has become a very fine and trustworthy rule-based firewall in a relatively short time. License key must be obtained here.

New version 3.1.395 released; not tested yet. 30 day trial version available from our site; click the logo on the left.

download/more info: click the logo

Conceal Firewall is one of the "oldies" as rule-based firewalls is concerned. Still going strong though! No longer available.

fast download; click on the logo above

The latest version v.2.0 is in fact a combo, controlling, blocking and monitoring in one.
In this ant-Trojan section, we just mention the "AppWall" part, controlling any application access to the internet, nullifying the threat of Adaware, spyware and all kind of classes of trojan horses by monitoring all network traffic, every packet and any port.
The program also has scanning detection modules, windows registry monitoring with an option to cancel the alteration, a process viewer showing even hidden processes with full description, monitors network connections, shows active ports and connections to your computer.

This new version is actually application-based, and lacks checksumming; this will be implemented in the following version. Since checksumming is a necessity, we recommend waiting for the upcoming release.

Fast download from our downloads page, or just click on the logo on the left.

fast download; click the logo above

The new version 5.0 b1150 from Sygate Personal Firewall is freeware for personal use. We are impressed:

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very easy installation;

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three security levels available;

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remembers settings;

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application and rule based

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advanced settings include setting restrictions on which IPs and ports an application can utilize plus scheduling times;

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password setting, email alerting;

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system tray notification;

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logs for attack/scan attempts, network traffic, data-traffic;

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backtrace options.

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customizable advanced rules;

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trusted IP numbers can be set;

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rule viewer and rule editor;

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rule creation help system;

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capture/log packets per rule;

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control ICMP packets per type;

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ICS support for Ethernet connections;

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Windows XP support;

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user-friendly rule viewer and editor;

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display for alerts and system info;

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dynamic rule creation help system;

Not compatible with optional Internet Sharing software with WinME/Win2000; not enabled by default, not recommended to enable Microsoft's ICS.

The concept from Sygate PFW does resemble ZoneAlarm Pro. Since it does a very fine job, and it's freeware, we can highly recommend it..

On request, we put back v4.0 up for download again, because it's easier to configure.

Be sure to visit the The Unofficial Sygate Website from Graham Todd, providing all necessary info, instructions and screenshots!

	BlackICE defender v3.5 (trial version)
download; click on the logo above.	BlackICE defender is an Intrusion Detection program, guarding incoming traffic. Outgoing traffic is guarded as well in v3.5, provided your system is not infected while installing this software.

I decided to put this resource on my site after 2 of my close friends get stalked and harassed online .One of them got raped (after initial consensual sex) because she though the person she met online was a nice guy. My other friend who a teen was real scared when the person online posted the details of her is and said he was coming to get her (done by the trace route and a whois) .anytime your add some one to your list or send or receive a file or send an email the person will know your IP. So don't send anytime unless u know that person. Don't show your web cam to anyone u don't know or trust as that person could be recording from the web can and can post it on the net or on kazaa (this happened to my pal ).The only thing i could do was feel sad and give her a advice. Hope this and the articles and tip below help you staying safe .

Whose vulnerable to stalking

With the exception of children, no one may be more vulnerable on the Net than an excited newbie who posts a homepage filled with personal information.

"They don't realize that they are giving this ammunition to cyber stalkers," said Parry Aftab, executive director of Cyber angels, an Internet safety group.

Cyber angels is one of a handful of groups on the Web providing Internet users with information to avoid becoming cyber stalked, and what to do if they already are.

Besides keeping your personal information to yourself, the group suggests not responding to flaming, not flirting online with someone you don't know, choosing a genderless screen name, and leaving an online environment if it has become hostile.

That's good advice, agreed Jayne Hitchcock, president of Women Halting Online Abuse.

Both Cyber angels and WHOA provide clear guidelines to follow if a person feels they are being harassed.

"People aren't reporting (cyber stalking) because they don't know that they can," Aftab said.

If nothing changes, or the harassment gets worse, they are advised to call the police.

Linda Fairstein, chief of the sex crimes prosecution unit for the Manhattan district attorney, has seen hundreds of cyber stalking cases. She emphasized how important it is for a victim to save any correspondence from the harasser. If the local community does not respond, she recommends calling the state attorney general or the FBI.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office has put together the LoveMeNot website, which discusses stalking over the Internet. The site also provides phone numbers a person can call if they feel threatened.

Cyber angels has 4,000 volunteers, including several hundred law enforcement officers, who help respond to complaints and offer moral support to victims.

"The Internet is a wonderful tool but it can also be a really bad place," Hitchcock said.

* Do not share personal information in public spaces anywhere online, nor give it to strangers, including in e-mail or chat rooms. Do not use your real name or nickname as your screen name or user ID. Pick a name that is gender- and age-neutral. And do not post personal information as part of any user profiles.

* Be extremely cautious about meeting online acquaintances in person. If you choose to meet, do so in a public place and take along a friend.

* Make sure that your ISP and Internet Relay Chat (IRC) network have an acceptable use policy that prohibits cyber stalking. And if your network fails to respond to your complaints, consider switching to a provider that is more responsive to user complaints.

* If a situation online becomes hostile, log off or surf elsewhere. If a situation places you in fear, contact a local law enforcement agency.

* If you are receiving unwanted contact, make clear to that person that you would like him or her not to contact you again.

* Save all communications for evidence. Do not edit or alter them in any way. Also, keep a record of your contacts with Internet system administrators or law enforcement officials.

* You may want to consider blocking or filtering messages from the harasser. Many e-mail programs such as Eudora and Microsoft Outlook have a filter feature, and software can be easily obtained that will automatically delete e-mails from a particular e-mail address or that contain offensive words. Chat room contact can be blocked as well. Although formats differ, a common chat room command to block someone would be to type: /ignore <person's screen name> (without the brackets). However, in some circumstances (such as threats of violence), it may be more appropriate to save the information and contact law enforcement authorities.

* If harassment continues after you have asked the person to stop, contact the harasser's Internet Service Provider (ISP). Most ISP's have clear policies prohibiting the use of their services to abuse another person. Often, an ISP can try to stop the conduct by direct contact with the stalker or by closing their account. If you receive abusive e-mails, identify the domain (after the "@" sign) and contact that ISP. Most ISP's have an e-mail address such as abuse@(domain name) or postmaster@(domain name) that can be used for complaints. If the ISP has a website, visit it for information on how to file a complaint.

* Contact your local police department and inform them of the situation in as much detail as possible. In appropriate cases, they may refer the matter to state or federal authorities. If you are afraid of taking action, there are resources available to help you, Contact either:
-The National Domestic Violence Hotline, 800-799-SAFE (phone); 800-787-3224 (TDD)
-A local women's shelter for advice and support.

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