what about xp's firewall?

[Reece George]

I am generally confident that if someone is seriouse about getting the data
from my computer then it would have already have been gone.

I am guessing the firewall in xp is there, just like we have locks on our
doors, to keep out the honest people, part-time crooks.

Of course, I do switch the xp firewall on but does anyone here know how good
it is?

How do you measure how good a firewall is anyway? Shouldnt you just measure
how unlucky the user is?

Reece
http://www.reecegeorge.com

 

[JW]

Here's a very good article on the subject of firewalls, anti-spyware, and
anti-virus software.

http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,115939,pg,1,00.asp

Your right that there is no hacker-proof computer, just like there is no
burglar-proof house. It's all a matter of deterrents.

Given a choice between (1) a house with no fence, no dogs, no cars, no
lights on, and windows wide open, vs. (2) a house with an electric fence,
pit bull dogs, pickup truck out front with an empty gun rack, trash can in
the back full of bullet holes, TV flashing, stereo booming, and bars on the
windows. Well, we know which one the burglar would go for.

I am generally confident that if someone is seriouse about getting the data
from my computer then it would have already have been gone.

I am guessing the firewall in xp is there, just like we have locks on our
doors, to keep out the honest people, part-time crooks.

Of course, I do switch the xp firewall on but does anyone here know how good
it is?

How do you measure how good a firewall is anyway? Shouldnt you just measure
how unlucky the user is?

Reece
http://www.reecegeorge.com

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

Well, WinXP's built-in ICF is certainly better than nothing, but
it's no substitute for a real firewall.

WinXP's built-in firewall is _adequate_ at stopping incoming
attacks, and hiding your ports from probes. It doesn't give you any
alarms, or any other kind of indication, to tell you that it is
working, though. Nor is it very easily configurable. What WinXP also
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 ICF 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.

To enable/disable the built-in firewall, Start > Network
Connections > Right-click the connection > Properties > Advanced >
Protect my computer.....

HOW TO Enable or Disable Internet Connection Firewall in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q283673

If you're using AOL, MSN, NetZero, or another on-line content
providing service that doesn't trust its customers to control their
own computers and insists upon the installation of a proprietary
connectoid, you'll either need to find a 3rd party firewall that is
compatible with them, or switch to a real ISP that is compatible with
the real Internet.


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

 

[Kent W. England [MVP]]

I am generally confident that if someone is seriouse about getting the data
from my computer then it would have already have been gone.

I am guessing the firewall in xp is there, just like we have locks on our
doors, to keep out the honest people, part-time crooks.

Of course, I do switch the xp firewall on but does anyone here know how good
it is?

How do you measure how good a firewall is anyway? Shouldnt you just measure
how unlucky the user is?

The XP firewall is fine. It does everything a simple firewall is
supposed to do. But you might like to have a third-party firewall that
watches outbound traffic. Those kind catch trojans and spyware, but they
take more maintenance time.

Firewalls, however, don't stop the user from clicking on bad stuff.