Disabling XP SP2 Firewall

  • Thread starter Thread starter F.S.
  • Start date Start date
It does not hurt to have a software firewall (SP2) and a hardware firewall
(DSL router). The DSL router is mainly using NAT (Network Address
Translating???) in order to "hide" your PC.

Also, SP2 's firewall is still limited. You should take a look at Zone
Alarm.
 
F.S. said:
According with this page
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/viruses/fwbenefit
s.mspx
...I don't need additional firewall software while I'm
using a dsl hardware router connected to internet.
Question is, should I disable the firewall built into XP
SP2 despite of my hardware router? I feel nonsense
keeping XPsp2 firewall enabled.
Any suggestion please. Thanks

F.S.
Click to expand...



If you use a router with NAT, it's still a very good idea to use a
3rd party software firewall. Like WinXP's built-in firewall,
NAT-capable routers do nothing to protect the user from him/herself
(or any "curious," over-confident teenagers in the home). Again --
and I cannot emphasize this enough -- almost all spyware and many
Trojans and worms are downloaded and installed deliberately (albeit
unknowingly) by the user. So a software firewall, such as Sygate or
ZoneAlarm, that can detect and warn the user of unauthorized out-going
traffic is an important element of protecting one's privacy and
security. (Remember: Most antivirus applications do not even scan for
or protect you from adware/spyware, because, after all, you've
installed them yourself, so you must want them there, right?)

I use both a router with NAT and Sygate Personal Firewall, even
though I generally know better than to install scumware. When it
comes to computer security and protecting my privacy, I prefer the old
"belt and suspenders" approach. In the professional IT community,
this is also known as a "layered defense." Basically, it comes down
to never, ever "putting all of your eggs in one basket."

--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH
 
"Hardware routers
Pros:
....Hardware routers provide firewall protection for
multiple computers"...
 
-----Original Message-----
It does not hurt to have a software firewall (SP2) and a hardware firewall
(DSL router). The DSL router is mainly using NAT (Network Address
Translating???) in order to "hide" your PC.
Also, SP2 's firewall is still limited. You should take a look at Zone
Alarm.
Click to expand...

Thanks Yves
 
-----Original Message-----




If you use a router with NAT, it's still a very good idea to use a
3rd party software firewall. Like WinXP's built-in firewall,
NAT-capable routers do nothing to protect the user from him/herself
(or any "curious," over-confident teenagers in the home). Again --
and I cannot emphasize this enough -- almost all spyware and many
Trojans and worms are downloaded and installed deliberately (albeit
unknowingly) by the user. So a software firewall, such as Sygate or
ZoneAlarm, that can detect and warn the user of unauthorized out-going
traffic is an important element of protecting one's privacy and
security. (Remember: Most antivirus applications do not even scan for
or protect you from adware/spyware, because, after all, you've
installed them yourself, so you must want them there, right?)

I use both a router with NAT and Sygate Personal Firewall, even
though I generally know better than to install scumware. When it
comes to computer security and protecting my privacy, I prefer the old
"belt and suspenders" approach. In the professional IT community,
this is also known as a "layered defense." Basically, it comes down
to never, ever "putting all of your eggs in one basket."

--
Click to expand...


Thanks Bruce, yours is a convincing explanation.
When you say "...I use both a router with NAT and Sygate
Personal Firewall, even though I generally know better
than to install scumware..." I doubt here. Do you mean
they install spyware/malware? Thanks for your time.

F.S.
 
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