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stockwiz said:
Every computer user with a always on internet connection should be using a firewall.
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You know, I have thought about this one a bit. Stockwiz, what I'm about to say is just tech type hair-splitting which I figure you'd appreciate. But I agree with you, most folks should get all the protection they can.
Anyway, I'm thinking it would depend on what type of connection you have. For instance, my ISP uses NAT (Network Address Translation) for their dynamically assigned IP addresses for their DSL connections.
Basically, this setup puts my computer and home network behind a firewall. In theory, I should not need to run either a hardware or software based firewall for my home computer for inbound threats.
Now, if I had a static IP address, I would definately need a firewall as I would be wide open to the Internet.
Again, I am in no way disagreeing with stockwiz, and would always err on the side of caution unless my ISP could convince me beyond a shadow of a doubt that I didn't need a firewall for inbound threats, if that was all I was concerned about.
In any case, a firewall can help diagnose and stop un-authorized outbound traffic which is very important if you happen to become infected with some kind of Internet "nasty". This alone would make it worth having a firewall.
Mike