The government isn't the only one with lessons to learn from recent data disasters: all of us should re-assess how seriously we take data security on a personal level.
Equally as important as firewalls is spyware protection, and that's where Spybot Search & Destroy 1.5, which is finally fully compatible with both Vista and Firefox, comes to the rescue. While the interface is in need of modernisation, we can't knock the performance. It helps prevent spyware and adware getting onto your system in the first place, and if you install it on an already infected PC it works wonders in getting it clean.