FIRE WALLS

[Guest]

Hi , could u please advise me wether i can use anther fire wall along with
the windows firwall that comes with the windows xp service pack2 home
edition , or can only one 1 fire wall be used to good effect , thanx ray

 

[Malke]

Hi , could u please advise me wether i can use anther fire wall along
with
the windows firwall that comes with the windows xp service pack2 home
edition , or can only one 1 fire wall be used to good effect ,
thanx ray

It is not recommended to use more than one firewall. Either choose the
WF that comes with SP2 or use a third-party firewall. In addition, if
you have broadband Internet access it is wise to purchase a router even
if you have only one machine.

Malke

 

[Guest]

malke thanks for your swift response to my problem , cheers mate

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Hi , could u please advise me wether i can use anther fire wall along with
the windows firwall that comes with the windows xp service pack2 home
edition , or can only one 1 fire wall be used to good effect , thanx ray

The Windows Firewall included with SP2, while vastly superior to
the original ICF in terms of visibility, usability and configurability,
is still rather lacking, as a solid security component. It still can't
supplant 3rd-party solutions, nor is it intended to do so; rather, it's
intended to complement them. And, like the original ICF, it will not
monitor out-going traffic.

WinXP's built-in firewall is usually adequate at stopping incoming
attacks, and hiding your ports from probes. What WinXP SP2's firewall
does not do, is protect you from any Trojans or spyware that you (or
someone else using your computer) might download and install
inadvertently. It doesn't monitor out-going traffic at all, other than
to check for IP-spoofing, much less block (or at even ask you about) the
bad or the questionable out-going signals. It assumes that any
application you have on your hard drive is there because you want it
there, and therefore has your "permission" to access the Internet.
Further, because the Windows Firewall is a "stateful" firewall, it will
also assume that any incoming traffic that's a direct response to a
Trojan's or spyware's out-going signal is also authorized.

ZoneAlarm, Kerio, or Sygate are all much better than WinXP's
built-in firewall, and are much more easily configured, and there are
free versions of each readily available. Even the commercially
available Symantec's Norton Personal Firewall is superior by far,
although it does take a heavier toll of system performance then do
ZoneAlarm or Sygate.

Having said that, it's important to remember that firewalls and
anti-virus applications, which should always be used and should always
be running, while important components of "safe hex," cannot, and should
not be expected to, protect the computer user from him/herself.
Ultimately, it is incumbent upon each and every computer user to learn
how to secure his/her own computer.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Hi , could u please advise me wether i can use anther fire wall along
with the windows firwall that comes with the windows xp service
pack2 home edition , or can only one 1 fire wall be used to good
effect , thanx ray

You can use more than one, but you should not. You achieve no extra
protection, you incur the extra overhead of running two firewalls, and you
run the risk (probably small, but not zero) of conflicts between them.

See http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/firewall.mspx which
includes the following:

"Q. Should I use both the built-in firewall and a software firewall from a
different company on my Windows XP computer?

"A. No. Running multiple software firewalls is unnecessary for typical home
computers, home networking, and small-business networking scenarios. Using
two firewalls on the same connection could cause issues with connectivity to
the Internet or other unexpected behavior. One firewall, whether it is the
Windows XP Internet Connection Firewall or a different software firewall,
can provide substantial protection for your computer."

Also note that if you update your third-party firewall to a new version, the
update routine will probably turn it off first. If the Windows firewall
isn't running, you will temporarily be left with no running firewall, which
is very dangerous. So turn on the Windows firewall temporarily before doing
maintenance on your third-party firewall.

The Windows firewall monitors incoming traffic only. Almost any third-party
firewall will also monitor outbound traffic, stopping rogue programs trying
to call home, and is a better choice.

 

[miss-information]

While you do not answer the OPs question you imply Windows Firewall can be
used in tandem with 3rd party offerings. Is this correct?

mi

 

[Pappion]

Please explain why one needs a router with broadband Internet access...does
than include DSL?? What, and why, how, and when?

Thank you, Malke.

 

[Pappion]

Sheesh, I'm bowled over. This is much what our State Blind Services
technologist told me last week. Now, I'm agog!

Where to start? Have updated V. of AVG and AdAware (which just found a
'file,' thank goodness), and Spyblaster's latest V. with my XP Pro Sp2, and
all other Updates. I have "cookies" only on notification and approval, and
do not run Flash. Big deal!

So, which firewall do you recommend? I'd just come to the point where I
wasn't running every thing daily to protect my computer--on the advice of
our technologist. But, I'm still proceeding with the back-up and cleaning
the HD as noted in a prior post. In fact, he's going to do it for me.

 

[Pappion]

we should trade some great quotes.

 

[Ronnie Vernon MVP]

Pappion

A router can provide a hardware firewall at the source of the connection, which is a better solution than a software firewall.

BTW, there is no need to change the subject line of a thread. Just reply and post the message.

 

[Leythos]

Please explain why one needs a router with broadband Internet access...does
than include DSL?? What, and why, how, and when?

First, don't be confused by what some vendors call a firewall when it's
really just a fancy NAT Router. NAT Routing is the minimum that you want
to protect your network, and it's very effective at blocking unsolicited
inbound connections, but it does nothing about outbound and most can't
do anything about content checking and even fewer know the difference
between HTTP and port 80 traffic.

If you have ANY internet connection, even for a single PC, that provides
a network/USB connection, then you need a NAT Router (at the minimum),
to protect your PC.

If you have Dial-Up, they don't make Dial-Up NAT routers any more, at
least not that I can find, but you need some form of personal firewall
software, even for Dial-Up.

I like the DFL-700 from D-Link, but it's not cheap, but it's as close to
a real firewall as you can get without spending $450, it runs about $265
depending on your country/location.

At the very least, a BEFRS41 from Linksys or other cheap (under $80) NAT
router, often called a firewall by idiot marketing departments, will do
for your non-business, non-secure, solution.

This is just the first step, you also need to follow basic security
methods, like not using IE, not running as an Administrator level
account, not opening attachments in emails, not opening files on
websites, not opening attachments when they appear to be from someone
you know (as they might be sent from a virus on your friends
machine)....

 

[Pop`]

While you do not answer the OPs question you imply Windows Firewall
can be used in tandem with 3rd party offerings. Is this correct?

No. It is always advised to NOT run more than one firewall. Most decent fw
programs in fact will disable the windows firewall for you. Some others
will but don't bother to ell you that. And others yet won't bother with it.
Multiple firewalls can "argue" with each other, and if/when you DO decide
to let a specific site thorugh, you'll have to allow it in ALL firewalls
that are active, not just one. And then you have the instances where the
firewalls will compete with each other which can really slow things down.
It IS possible to do; it is NOT advisable to do.

HTH
Pop`

 

[Pop`]

Sheesh, I'm bowled over. This is much what our State Blind Services
technologist told me last week. Now, I'm agog!

Where to start? Have updated V. of AVG and AdAware (which just found a
'file,' thank goodness), and Spyblaster's latest V. with my XP Pro
Sp2, and all other Updates. I have "cookies" only on notification and
approval, and do not run Flash. Big deal!

AVG is a pretty decent antivirus and quite competent. It's not a firewall
though.
All the spyware apps you listed are decent and wise to use all of them
periodically.

So, which firewall do you recommend?

ZoneAlarm is good, and free. So is Kerio. Sygate used to be free but
they've dropped the freebie, though they aren't expensive. I like ZA the
best of all of them for its user friendliness. Personal opinions; ymmv.


I'd just come to the point where

I wasn't running every thing daily to protect my computer--on the
advice of our technologist. But, I'm still proceeding with the
back-up and cleaning the HD as noted in a prior post. In fact, he's
going to do it for me.

You need to ALWAYS have a firewall and anti-virus going. Always. Period.
Never connect to the internet without them. You do not however have to run
scans every day, but it's a good idea to do so if you can. I run my scans
every couple of weeks unless something is acting funny, but my firewall and
av are ALWAYS active and watching for malware from the internet or wherever.

It sounds as if you may have misunderstood your "technologist". Perhaps
some clarifications might be in order.

Pop

 

[Bruce Chambers]

While you do not answer the OPs question you imply Windows Firewall can be
used in tandem with 3rd party offerings. Is this correct?

On corporate networks where there's a 3rd party firewall-based
perimeter defense, WinXP's built-in firewall is often left enabled (and
controlled via group policy) to reduce any potential damage that an
uninformed or careless user might introduce by way of diskette.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell

 

[Jim Macklin]

Some bits of info...
Doing software installations often suggest that you shut the
anti-virus off and the firewall, and spyware detection apps,
too.

Yes DSL and cable are both broadband, always ON connections.
There are nasty bot programs and Trojans on the Internet
just looking for an unprotected computer.

Even though a $25-50 router is not as good a hardware
firewall as is possible, it is enough to project the
connection. I run the free version of Zone Alarm and also
have a router. The router also allows you to connect more
than one computer to your DSL/cable and fully share the
connection and surf, email and download on both at the same
time.



| In article <#[email protected]>,
| (e-mail address removed) says...
| > Please explain why one needs a router with broadband
Internet access...does
| > than include DSL?? What, and why, how, and when?
|
| First, don't be confused by what some vendors call a
firewall when it's
| really just a fancy NAT Router. NAT Routing is the minimum
that you want
| to protect your network, and it's very effective at
blocking unsolicited
| inbound connections, but it does nothing about outbound
and most can't
| do anything about content checking and even fewer know the
difference
| between HTTP and port 80 traffic.
|
| If you have ANY internet connection, even for a single PC,
that provides
| a network/USB connection, then you need a NAT Router (at
the minimum),
| to protect your PC.
|
| If you have Dial-Up, they don't make Dial-Up NAT routers
any more, at
| least not that I can find, but you need some form of
personal firewall
| software, even for Dial-Up.
|
| I like the DFL-700 from D-Link, but it's not cheap, but
it's as close to
| a real firewall as you can get without spending $450, it
runs about $265
| depending on your country/location.
|
| At the very least, a BEFRS41 from Linksys or other cheap
(under $80) NAT
| router, often called a firewall by idiot marketing
departments, will do
| for your non-business, non-secure, solution.
|
| This is just the first step, you also need to follow basic
security
| methods, like not using IE, not running as an
Administrator level
| account, not opening attachments in emails, not opening
files on
| websites, not opening attachments when they appear to be
from someone
| you know (as they might be sent from a virus on your
friends
| machine)....
|
|
|
| --
|
| (e-mail address removed)
| remove 999 in order to email me

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

miss-information wrote:

No. It is always advised to NOT run more than one firewall. Most
decent fw programs in fact will disable the windows firewall for you.
Some others will but don't bother to ell you that. And others yet
won't bother with it. Multiple firewalls can "argue" with each
other, and if/when you DO decide to let a specific site thorugh,
you'll have to allow it in ALL firewalls that are active, not just
one. And then you have the instances where the firewalls will
compete with each other which can really slow things down.

I agree with everything you say, except for the very first word. Yes, they
*can* be used together.

It IS
possible to do; it is NOT advisable to do.

Exactly!

 

[Gene K]

You might also look at the Comodo Firewall which is also free:
http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/ .
--
GeneK

Sheesh, I'm bowled over. This is much what our State Blind Services
technologist told me last week. Now, I'm agog!

Where to start? Have updated V. of AVG and AdAware (which just found a
'file,' thank goodness), and Spyblaster's latest V. with my XP Pro
Sp2, and all other Updates. I have "cookies" only on notification and
approval, and do not run Flash. Big deal!

AVG is a pretty decent antivirus and quite competent. It's not a firewall
though.
All the spyware apps you listed are decent and wise to use all of them
periodically.

So, which firewall do you recommend?

ZoneAlarm is good, and free. So is Kerio. Sygate used to be free but
they've dropped the freebie, though they aren't expensive. I like ZA the
best of all of them for its user friendliness. Personal opinions; ymmv.


I'd just come to the point where

I wasn't running every thing daily to protect my computer--on the
advice of our technologist. But, I'm still proceeding with the
back-up and cleaning the HD as noted in a prior post. In fact, he's
going to do it for me.

You need to ALWAYS have a firewall and anti-virus going. Always. Period.
Never connect to the internet without them. You do not however have to
run
scans every day, but it's a good idea to do so if you can. I run my scans
every couple of weeks unless something is acting funny, but my firewall
and
av are ALWAYS active and watching for malware from the internet or
wherever.

It sounds as if you may have misunderstood your "technologist". Perhaps
some clarifications might be in order.

Pop

 

[Pop`]

I agree with everything you say, except for the very first word. Yes,
they *can* be used together.

Agreed; my bad.

Pop`

 

[P. Johnson]

Hi , could u please advise me wether i can use anther fire wall along with
the windows firwall that comes with the windows xp service pack2 home
edition , or can only one 1 fire wall be used to good effect , thanx

Just use Windows Firewall. Playing around with anything else is just snake
oil.

http://preview.samspade.org/d/firewalls.html

 

[John John]

RAY0711 wrote:




Just use Windows Firewall. Playing around with anything else is just snake
oil.

http://preview.samspade.org/d/firewalls.html

BULLSHIT!

John