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What is a firewall and why should I have one?  

That is the question that many people ask me when I ask them if they have one installed on their computer. 

In my opinion it is very critical to have a firewall on your computer if it is in any way connected to the internet, especially if you have a DSL, Cable, or "always on" connection.

A firewall is a program that blocks hackers or companies from gaining unwanted access to your computer and files.

Does it guarantee protection from hackers?  No.  Hackers develop new tools all the time, so it can't be guaranteed that a hacker won't gain access to your computer, but firewalls are updated as well in order to keep up with the existing technology that hackers are capable of using.  

You may be asking: But seriously now, what are the chances of a hacker or company gaining access to "my" computer and why would they want to do that?  There are countless reasons why a company or hacker might want to gain access to your computer and the chances really aren't all that small.  Each day I am on the internet I get at least 5-10 hits from some computer or server that wants to gain unwanted access to my computer.  

The chances of a hacker gaining access to a computer that has an "always on" connection, which includes DSL or cable connections, are much higher than for people that have a dial-up modem.  

The reason for this is that "always on" connections have an IP address that stays the same, while dial-up connections are assigned a new IP address each time they connect, making it more difficult for hackers to latch onto a computer that they like.  Unless they were to place a trojan horse on your computer, which would allow them to gain easy access to your computer.

Trojan horses can be installed on a computer by someone being on a computer and installing it, or a hacker can gain access to your computer by way of the internet and then install a trojan horse.  One way to check and see if you have one on your computer would be to get a virus scanner and scan your computer.

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