Windows XP firewall effectiveness

  • Thread starter Thread starter jason
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jason

Hi everyone,

I've recently been wondering about the effectiveness of
the built-in Windows XP firewall. I'm told that it's
very effective at stopping unsolicited inbound traffic,
but that it does nothing to monitor outgoing traffic. I
assume that this leaves me vulnerable to viruses and the
like that have been planted on my computer by some
unscrupulous villain.

My question may seem very naive, but I have to ask it
just the same. What are the chances, realistically, that
I will be hacked using the XP firewall with Norton AV
installed and updated, and using a dial-up connection?

Thanks for your time and help in advance.

jason.
 
jason said:
I've recently been wondering about the effectiveness of
the built-in Windows XP firewall. I'm told that it's
very effective at stopping unsolicited inbound traffic,
but that it does nothing to monitor outgoing traffic. I
assume that this leaves me vulnerable to viruses and the
like that have been planted on my computer by some
unscrupulous villain.

My question may seem very naive, but I have to ask it
just the same. What are the chances, realistically, that
I will be hacked using the XP firewall with Norton AV
installed and updated, and using a dial-up connection?
Click to expand...


Paranoia is the right place to start these days, Jason.

Realistically, the chances of you getting hacked in the scenario you
described (dial-up, firewall on, NAV installed and updated) are slim to
none. The chances of you getting a virus are also slim, even a virus/worm
like sasser that spreads without any mechanism but itself - thanks to your
blockage of incoming traffic.

If you also practice other safe computer rules (not opening unknown
attachments, scanning your system periodically for spy/adware, keeping the
AV defs updated, keeping your machine patched, checking for updates for your
other applications, etc..) - then I would say that you are setup for a long
run without trouble. :-)
 
Greetings --

WinXP's built-in firewall is _adequate_ at stopping incoming
attacks, and hiding your ports from probes. It doesn't give you any
alarms 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 Symantec's Norton
Personal Firewall is superior by far, although it does take a heavier
toll of system performance then do ZoneAlarm or Sygate.


Bruce Chambers

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