McAfee VSF08EMB3RUA User Guide - Page 80

78 McAfee VirusScan Plus Optimizing Firewall security There are many ways the security of your computer can be compromised. For example, some programs can attempt to connect to the Internet before Windows® starts. In addition, sophisticated computer users can trace (or ping) your computer to determine whether it is connected to a network. Firewall allows you to defend against both types of intrusion by allowing you to enable startup protection and to block ping requests. The first setting blocks programs from accessing the Internet as Windows starts up and the second blocks ping requests that help other users detect your computer on a network. Standard installation settings include automatic detection for the most common intrusion attempts, such as Denial of Service attacks or exploits. Using the standard installation settings ensures that you are protected against these attacks and scans; however, you can disable automatic detection for one or more attacks or scans on the Intrusion Detection pane. Protect your computer during startup You can protect your computer as Windows starts up to block new programs that did not have, and now need, Internet access during startup. Firewall displays relevant alerts for programs that had requested Internet access, which you can allow or block. To use this option, your security level must not be set to Open or Lockdown. 1 On the McAfee SecurityCenter pane, click Internet & Network, then click Configure. 2 On the Internet & Network Configuration pane, under Firewall protection is enabled, click Advanced. 3 On the Security Level pane, under Security Settings, select Enable startup protection. 4 Click OK. Note: Blocked connections and intrusions are not logged while startup protection is enabled.