At a minimum, turn on XP's firewall, which is turned on by default. But the XP firewall won't block outbound connections. So get a better firewall. The free version of ZoneAlarm, available from ZoneLabs, provides excellent protection. You can also buy any of the many for-pay firewalls and security suites as well.

Symantec's Internet Security is widely popular and available everywhere.  Don't confuse firewalls with anti-virus software, although many companies will package suites with both (or more) capabilities.  In computer networks with 5 or more PCs, we would recommend a second level of firewall protection or proxy to help secure your network.  KA Data Group will gladly meet to discuss your LAN requirements specific to your environment.  Call us today!

This is the final part of a six part series on securing your wireless network.

See part one here.

See part two here.

See part three here.

See part four here.

See part five here.