When to Update Your Firewall Software

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Do I need to update my firewall program every time I update my anti-virus software?

No. Anti-virus and firewall programs go about the objective of protecting your computer in different ways.

An anti-virus utility has to act like a fingerprint expert, scanning incoming files to see if they match the patterns of known viruses. Anti-virus developers constantly update databases of these patterns and set their anti-virus software to download the latest data once a week or so. These automatic updates require a yearly subscription and are worth the cost: Going on the Internet with old virus protection is like asking a detective to identify a set of fingerprints based on five-year-old FBI records -- the bad guys are likely to slip by.

A firewall, meanwhile, is more like window locks in your home. On a computer, these windows are "ports" -- optional channels of communication that can be exploited. A firewall will lock them up, in essence forcing Internet data to enter and exit through the front door.

Firewall updates tend to be limited to patches and feature additions. Anti-virus updates (and firewall bug fixes) are mandatory, but buying new firewall releases is up to your own judgment .

I keep getting "security certificate expired" message from Web sites. What can I do to prevent this?

These certificates, which expire after a set number of years, verify the identities of Web sites. This message could mean something's amiss at a Web site, but the likelier explanation is an obsolete Web browser.

Browsers include their own built-in certificate to set up secure Web transactions. Old versions of Netscape and Internet Explorer had certificates that expired on Dec. 31, 1999. Install a new browser and the problem will go away.