User Guide

User’s Guide 143
McAfee Firewall
Itisreallyimportanttochooseapasswordthatotherswillnotguess.
Choosing words, such as "open sesame" is a poor choice because there are
password guessingprograms that systematically try every word in the
dictionary as well as common phrases, names, dates and other predicatable
entries. It is better to choose several unrelated words, letters mixed with
numbers, or completely random characters. The more, the better. There are
password generation programs that can help you choose. They may help.
It is better to use a new password every time you make an important
configuration cha nge. Eve ry file you cr eat e with a pass word is "valid" in that
McAfe e Firewall will see that it matc hes the passw ord you used for it.Using a
new pas sword prevents someone from secretly replacing an older
configuration file for a newer o ne.
Trojans such as BO and Netbus can log keyboard stokes. Therefore, they can
logapasswordas youtypeit.WhileM cAfee Firewallhelpsyoudetecttrojans,
you must be d iligent in keeping t hem o ff your com put er(s) before they
compromise the security systems you put in place.
TIP: It is also good to have an anti-virus system such as McAfee
VirusScan installed on your computer to ensure protection from Trojans
and other known viruses.