Re: Broadband on all day

Today, Poprivet made these interesting comments ...

I have to turn off ntl broadband at the mains, otherwise it
just stays on. (There is no on/off switch on the box.) Could
you please explain what icon you mean? Thanks.

The cable modem I rent from Comcast has a button on the top
to put the modem in standby, disallowing any comm in or out.
I think it is safe enough to leave it turned on all the time
IF you believe you're adequately protected with a router,
perhaps a software firewall like Zone Alarm, and you have
good anti-virus and anti-trojan et al utilities.

The only time to consider turning it off or putting the modem
in standby is if you have some evidence that your PC is being
attacked. One way you might believe this is if your firewall
keeps warning you about suspect web sites or programs and
asks your permission to let them do their thing. The real
danger is if a malware program, such as spyware that can do
keyboard logging, is sophisticated enough to fool your
firewall. But, caution is one thing, paranoia is another.
Just be sure your definitions are up-to-date and that you
have your security parameters set-up to actually protect you.

I agree for the most part with this post, except:
Whenever I am going to leave the computer for more than a
few minutes I
use Zone Alarm to Engage Internet Lock.

That's not a disagreement, just a good alternative method. I hit
the button on the top of my modem, it's quick and easy but your
method is just as effective. The idea is the same - to positively
shut off anything from the dirty side coming in to your PC and
possibly taking something out without your knowledge.

Or, you could use the
stop-all too, if you have the paid version.

What is Stop-All? By its name, it is some sort of software switch
that cuts off access to/from the Internet, I would assume under
user control with some easy way to switch things off and an easy
way to get connected again.

In the freebie
version they are the same thing; all traffic is stopped.
When my switch control panel was working, I'd just turn off
the modem at
night.
IMO it's wise to not leave the system connected when one
isn't going to
be useing the computer for a length of time.

I have both a NAT router and ZoneAlarm, a good AV, and 4
standard spyware detectors I run periodically, plus WinPatrol,
an excellent monitor.
Some will tell you that all you need is a NAT router and
nothing else:
Not true!

I agree that having a NAT router is NOT nearly enough! And, it is
all to easy to have not set it up right. The idea to me is to
balance the risk with the cost of protection and the annoyances
of constantly training your protective utilities.

You do make a good point that the modem should be shut off when
you don't intend to use it for any extended period, as during
sleep time, going to dinner, whatever. It only takes a second to
turn it off and another second to turn it back on.

--
HP, aka Jerry
.