Monday, September 20, 2010

DSL and Cable Modems

If you've been on the Internet for any length of time you know some of the hazards and rewards of this fascinating medium. You also know that even a "fast" 56k modem is incredibly slow. So you upgrade to the Cable modem or DSL modem and notice the speed difference immediately. Now you can download those 720 iPod tunes in a matter of an hour versus the 10 hours it took before. Your pictures download faster. Websites with few graphics magically appear on your screen, and you wonder why it took you so long to change. Congratulations. Welcome to the World Wide Web.

But DSL and Cable models have inherent problems that connections through regular phone lines don't have: continuous connection to the Internet. While that may seem like a good thing, it really isn't because when you are not monitoring your computer, there is a possibility that hackers can hack into your system. Any time you are connected, it is possible for that to happen.

Fortunately, it need not be too much of a concern because now you can secure your modem with some sort of firewall. Simply put, a firewall is hardware, software, or both that resides between you and your connection to the Internet. Essentially it filters what can and can't pass through onto your system. Think of a firewall as it is in a car. The firewall is that piece of material that rests between your feet and the engine. If the firewall wasn't there, your feet would get very warm very quickly. Because it is there, however, you can ride down the highway in comfort.

The internet is changing daily. There is an industry is built up to help keep your machinery and data secure. As more and more hackers attempt to gain access, more and more sophisticated is being developed to prevent that. It's a game of tug of war each and every day you are connected to the fascinating World Wide Web.
Mort is a technical writer who loves to publish content online about a variety of subjects such as capri jeans and bamboo placemats

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