Quote:
A standard home internet router is a firewall. Hardly expensive.

I'm sure Bitt knows this, but just to keep anyone from getting a false sense of security: several home routers (as supplied by the isp) are not really routers or firewalls, but simply pass the raw, unfiltered internet connection on to the next device. If that next device is a computer, there's no protection beyond any software firewall. If it's an aftermarket router (netgear, linksys, dlink, etc.), that's generally a firewall.

I've known too many people with a cable or dsl device plugged directly into their computer, with a public IP address and no protection.

-jk