Microsoft® Windows® XP Networking and Security Inside Out: Also Covers Windows 2000

Using Direct Internet Connections on a LAN

Is the local network connection to your computer physically separate from your Internet connection? Is the Internet connection (dial-up or broadband) yours and yours alone? If the answer to both of these questions is yes, your security challenge is simple: Make sure that data packets from outside can't reach your computer (and your network) unless you specifically request them and that shared resources on your computer are accessible only from addresses on your local network. To be sure your two connections remain separate, you can and should disable file and printer sharing on the Internet connection. In addition, you should install and configure a personal firewall program that isolates the Internet ...