Is it a security risk for a PC to have an ADSL connection ?

[scott]

Hi,


When ADSL became available in my area, I switched from my old slow 56K dial-up to 1Mbit ADSL connection, which is very much faster. However, I am worried about the security of my PC now that it has an "always on" connection, because it is usually turned on for several hours a day. If the connection is not currently in use, the logon screen is available so that can member of my family can log on. I think that I have good security measures in place, but I'm wondering if the connection is open to the Internet when it's sitting at the logon screen. I know I could turn the firewall's Internet lock on, or switch the modem off, but my family would probably complain about the inconvenience. The PC runs Windows XP Home Edition, the Zone Alarm firewall, AVG Anti-Virus, Spybot S&D, and all the latest security updates etc. but it doesn't have a hardware firewall.

Thanks,