Security vs. Usability

One of the things I'm passionate about is security. Many end users have no idea about security. I challenge you, visit Steve Gibson's website www.grc.com click the "services" tab, and go to "ShieldsUP!". Use the "common ports" utility. Each of the tests shown on this page is a potential security problem. The Windows family of Operating Systems are designed to be very user friendly. In doing so, Microsoft has also made them very hacker friendly.
Many cable and DSL modems pass the public IP right onto your machine, putting your computer directly on the internet. If you have a good firewall that is properly configured, this isn't too bad of a problem. Most people, however, don't have such a firewall. If there are several ports that show "open" on ShieldsUP!, then consider getting a home NAT router with a built-in firewall. You won't notice a difference in your browsing, but it increases your level of security immensely.
Ideally you want your firewall to reject everything. This means that no one can get to your computer from the internet at all. If configured correctly, ShieldsUP! will give you a "perfect stealth" rating. Im my next post, I'll talk about what to do when you do want a port accessable from the internet.