When it comes to securing a home network, most users fall into the trap of believe that a simple home firewall device will provide all the security they need. While some type of firewall device or firewall software package is imperative for any network, this is where properly securing a network begins, not where it ends. Regardless of whether your network is of the wired or wireless variety, you’ll want to take a good hard look at many of the other recommendations listed in this column to ensure that your network is properly secured.
When thinking about network security, one of the best analogies you can use is one that we’re all familiar with – securing your home. In the same way that you lock your door at night to keep the outside world at bay, firewall hardware and software is designed to keep the general public out of your network – in this case other Internet users.
While locking that door is critical, you probably go a little further when it comes to securing your belongings within your house. For example, it’s probably a safe bet to assume that you don’t leave big stacks of money sitting on the kitchen table, or jewelry boxes sitting open in windows. More likely, you take the extra step to make sure that these items are hidden and secured to at least some degree. In the same way that you secure those valuables already behind a locked door, you also need to seriously consider securing resources on your internal network.
