Freeware Firewall issue needs to be settled

S

Semi Head

Ever since the freeware firewall favorite, Kerio 2.15, has been
discovered to be lacking when it comes to fragmented packets & therefore
a big security risk, no one has come forth & stated which of the other
freeware firewall versions would be best suited for Windows 98Se, Me,
2000, & XP.
I use '98se.
Could we have a definitive discussion on this freeware category?

S_H
 
J

Jsp

Semi said:
Ever since the freeware firewall favorite, Kerio 2.15, has been
discovered to be lacking when it comes to fragmented packets & therefore
a big security risk, no one has come forth & stated which of the other
freeware firewall versions would be best suited for Windows 98Se, Me,
2000, & XP.
I use '98se.
Could we have a definitive discussion on this freeware category?

S_H
Click to expand...
May a good, but in ACF not popular discussion starter:
According to a recent test by computer magazine Chip (Dutch), none of
the freeware firewalls offer the security of the commercial ones. The
main difference would be, among others, protection against malicious
ActiveX controls.
Second issue in this test: are the free firewalls really freware? Most
are a stepstone to the commercial version.
This test states that Sygate is the best free one
(http://smb.sygate.com/products/spf_standard.htm).

I currently use Agnitum Outpost. We have a permanent DSL connection for
over a year now, and until now never encountered problems.
(http://www.agnitum.com/download/outpost1.html).

Jsp
 
A

Aaron

(e-mail address removed) (Semi Head) wrote in @storefull-3111.bay.webtv.net:
Ever since the freeware firewall favorite, Kerio 2.15, has been
discovered to be lacking when it comes to fragmented packets & therefore
a big security risk, no one has come forth & stated which of the other
freeware firewall versions would be best suited for Windows 98Se, Me,
2000, & XP.
I use '98se.
Could we have a definitive discussion on this freeware category?

S_H
Click to expand...


I've tried most of them. None are perfect, all have shortcomings. It all
depends on what other software you use, what risks you are worried about
etc etc

Eg Sygate + proxomitron (or any local web proxy software) is not a good
idea. Kerio 2.15 has that fragmented packet handling problem. ZA free
does not offer sufficient grandular control on what ports are allowed,
Outpost 1 is outdated and does not allow global rules.

etc etc
 
K

Kerodo

Ever since the freeware firewall favorite, Kerio 2.15, has been
discovered to be lacking when it comes to fragmented packets & therefore
a big security risk, no one has come forth & stated which of the other
freeware firewall versions would be best suited for Windows 98Se, Me,
2000, & XP.
I use '98se.
Could we have a definitive discussion on this freeware category?
Click to expand...

After trying most of them, both free and pay versions, I find that no
single one is perfect. Both Sygate and ZA free are good for most
purposes though. Outpost also has a free version, however it's somewhat
dated by now. You'll find some criticism of any software firewall from
someone or other, but I'd think that either Sygate or ZA would probably
be the best free candidates.. Just my opinion though.. I personally
use VisNetic because I like it best, but it's not free...
unfortunately.
 
S

Semi Head

From: (e-mail address removed) (Kerodo)
(e-mail address removed) says...
Zone Alarm 2.6 is a firewall perfected.
Odd that it can't be found on
www.oldversion.com any more...

2.6 is nice, without all the bloat and crap
in the later versions.

Kerodo
Click to expand...

Interesting but somewhat disappointing that there is no reliable
freeware (software) firewall programs out there.
But thanks for all the opinions.
One more request:
Where can i get a copy of ZoneAlarm's v2.6 version?

Would/Could someone post or email me a download site url address please.

S_H
 
R

REM

(e-mail address removed) (Semi Head) wrote:
Click to expand...
Ever since the freeware firewall favorite, Kerio 2.15, has been
discovered to be lacking when it comes to fragmented packets & therefore
a big security risk, no one has come forth & stated which of the other
freeware firewall versions would be best suited for Windows 98Se, Me,
2000, & XP.
Click to expand...
I use '98se.
Could we have a definitive discussion on this freeware category?
Click to expand...

I'm using XP Pro withy Kerio 2.1.5 and the XP firewall also.

I "think" I'm safe. The XP firewall was weak on outbound connections
and Kerio evidently is weak on inbound connections. Hopefully together
they protect. That's a bit iffy though.

I've tried Zone Alarm and found the cure as bad as the problem. That
was a long time ago though.

Sygate users seem happy to recommend this firewall.

http://smb.sygate.com/products/spf/comparison_spf.htm
 
R

REM

<[email protected]> wrote:
Click to expand...
May a good, but in ACF not popular discussion starter:
Click to expand...
According to a recent test by computer magazine Chip (Dutch), none of
the freeware firewalls offer the security of the commercial ones. The
main difference would be, among others, protection against malicious
ActiveX controls.
Click to expand...

There are ways to get activeX protection from other programs.
SpywareBlaster is a great little utility and Avant is a great IE
frontend that allows activeX and scripting to be turned off, as well
as killing popups by the bushel.
Second issue in this test: are the free firewalls really freware? Most
are a stepstone to the commercial version.
This test states that Sygate is the best free one
(http://smb.sygate.com/products/spf_standard.htm).
Click to expand...

This is true. But if you can get good base protection it is worth
having, even if patching with other utilities is necessary to plug
more holes.
I currently use Agnitum Outpost. We have a permanent DSL connection for
over a year now, and until now never encountered problems.
(http://www.agnitum.com/download/outpost1.html).
Click to expand...

I've used Kerio 2.1.5 forever now. It did not stop the MHTML security
flaw in XP, nor did AVG. That's a Win issue though.
 
T

Tim

Does KPF 4.1.2 not fit the bill? Or does free only "for home & personal use" not
count? Or does the 4.1.2 GUI just put everyone off (me included!).
 

Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments. After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.

Ask a Question

Similar Threads

Link to freeware programs which have become shareware (this link has the freeware versions before th 2
Freeware from Snapfiles -- 2nd Try! - "freeware.html" (0/1) 36.4 kBytes yEnc 4
NEW at The Freeware Publishing Site 13
Under1Megabyte 9
FWT Newsletter - Weekly - December 29, 2003 3
FWT Newsletter - Weekly - September 1, 2003 1
[Text Editors] Comparison 120
OpenOffice.Org Newsletter - Vol. 01 Issue 9 3

Top