prevent hacking

[clarkdevlin]

Whats the best software to use which prevents hackers from hacking into your system?

[Soulburner]

If said "hackers" were competant at all, software wouldn't be enough to stop them.

[minibubba]

it's called a firewall, try ZoneAlarm.

[Wiggo]

If said "hackers" were competant at all, software wouldn't be enough to stop them.

Hah! A lot of times neither will a hardware firewall.

clarkdevlin I've been usin' ZoneAlarm for quite a few years now without probs but if your targeted by a top hacker pacfically then neither software or hardware will help ya as they will normally use a normal service to get at ya which will fool a firewall (usually by a trojan program).

[clarkdevlin]

so the top firewall to protect your comp is a zone alarm?

[Wiggo]

It has been for me with a good AV (I use free AVG) and good spyware detector (Ad-aware) but be warned that no software or hardware firewall is perfect but hardware is harder to crack (not by much though).

[clarkdevlin]

I also need to know if its safe ordering online, Hackers may get hold of credit card details whilst online?

[Mr. C]

OK, all good questions.
Good answers too!
A firewall is your first best step to prevent unwanted intrusions into your system.
I prefer ZoneAlarm myself, currently I'm using Sygate (free versions, of course). My next clean install I'm switching back to ZoneAlarm.

As far as ordering online;
The best thing you can do yourself is to make certain you see the little "lock" symbol located just above the taskbar in Internet Explorer and other browsers, while you are on any pages you are using to input sensitive information ie. credit card info, personal info, etc.

This symbol indicates you are indeed on an encrypted page.
There is nothing you can do to make the symbol appear, either the page is encrypted or it is not.
If you don't see the lock don't order.
Any upstanding online retailer will use encrypted pages - your method of verifying that is the lock symbol.

Of course, verifying the retailer themselves is another matter entirely.
There are a lot of fine retailers online, and that is the commonly accepted method of ensuring the security of a transaction online.

in addition to the fine tools you have already been told of here, I'd like to add Spybot Search & Destroy to the list.

http://security.kolla.de/

It's similar in function to AdAware in that it catches spyware and other malware and disables them. Also it has a very nice immunizer for Browser Helper Objects in Internet Explorer.

[kane2g]

Security is an illussion. in real life and on the net.
If you want to be comletly secure, dont ever go online, get out of your house, answer the phone, etc.
Its impossible to live like that.
Think of firewalls, WEP, passwords as tool. Its like you buckle up your seatbelt when driving a car, it will not prevent you from crashing into another car, but it will save your life. if you dont use it ure screwed.
you never know where and when and how the next truck/virus is comming. so be prepared as much as you can.
But undrstand that there are ALWAYS ways around whatever shield you put up.