2cents mentioned a firewall called Zone Alarm...I installed it last summer and it disabled two important programs...One bein CallWave which lets me know when someone else is trying to get to me on Phone...I don't speak for Canie or the other computer experts here....but hacking into my system is next to impossible.. I use a Ping program I wrote a long time ago...It is only 40 lines of code...Now I know some genius might get around it, but most will not...My program knows an average output bitrate...I assign the bitrate each time I log on depending on what I am doing. If I am doing online banking or other such I use it..The program notifies me if the outgoing bitrate reaches a certain rate. It does not count when my mail program is working on the side tho...I get notified when any excess is outgoing..and I frequently switch ISP's where I have outgoing mail backed up on non-default. Just an FYI...if you use a firewall protection program, you are not always safe...best to check your outgoing bitrate.....