More and more Americans are signing up for high speed Internet access, which is great. But there is also an increased risk that someone will be able to get into your computer and change passwords or view your accounts. It can’t really happen with dial-up connections, but it’s a constant threat with high-speed access. According to abcnews.com, two out of three Internet users have no firewall system. A firewall is basically a software package that protects other people from hacking into your system. So, if you’re asking what a firewall is, you probably don’t have one. Check out the programs available on our
Firewall Protection page and download one of them. Even if your ISP claims to offer firewall protection, you probably want to add your own as well.
In other Internet news, Comcast has limited the amount of time customers can spend online but it has chosen a very strange and unprofessional way to let customers know. Comcast used to advertise “unlimited use” for its customers, but now customers are limited to “acceptable use.” That would normally be fine, but Comcast does not define what “acceptable use” means. So, some Comcast customers are getting letters in the mail, saying they are spending too much time online. The company can then arbitrarily cut you off without explanation. So, if you get a letter, fire Comcast and switch companies immediately.
