Yes, having a high speed Internet connection significantly increases the risk of your computer being attacked by viruses, worms, and hackers. A firewall will help block such attacks.

Most new computers come with firewalls as part of the operating system. If your computer is running Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later, the Windows Firewall has been installed and activated by default.

If you use a router to connect to your Internet Service Provider (and then connect your computers through the router), the router most likely provide an effective firewall.

Having firewall is an effective and inexpensive way to help protect your computer. Because computer worms and viruses are so common and so fast, it is very important to protect your computer with a firewall before you connect to the Internet.

Using a firewall won’t make your computer completely safe. You should also use an anti-virus and anti-spyware program, and ensure that your computer has all the appropriate security patches applied.

MS Windows security patches can be installed from the Microsoft Update site (update.microsoft.com). If you have a Macintosh computer, you can download security updates from www.apple.com/support/downloads/. Both MS Windows and Macintosh OS X can be configured to download and install security patches automatically.

More information

• Firewall: frequently asked questions - Microsoft

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