Windows XP PRO SP2 Firewall

[Guest]

Is the Firewall in SP2 more than adequate enough to prevent intrusions and
guard your privacy while on the internet? I have a connection thats always
on and was considering Norton Internet Security 2005. Does anyone have any
opinions on this product? Is it better or stronger than the SP2 firewall?
All opinions appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Guest]

No, it offers marginal security, it does keep traffic from coming in, but
does nothing
to either monitor nor block outgoing traffic, nor do you get any notices of
traffic
in either direction, zonealarm is free and a much better product, zonealarm
pro is available for purchase and offers more options, if that is what you
want.
I wouldn't use the NIS 2005 as there are lots of free products out there
that do similar or better actions at much better cost options (free) is good..

 

[G. Vaught]

I used Zone Alarm free edition and it is one of the top rated free software
based firewalls. I went out to several sites and used their testing program
and they reported back they could not even find my PC. I'm trying a new
firewall from Trend Micro, which also incorporates email scanning, virus
protection among other capabilities. It also has been highly rated. The only
problem using the built-in Firewall with Win XP, is you really can't tweak
it, or at least I didn't find a way. It is either on or off. Zone Alarm and
Trend Micro allow you to adjust ports and settings. I can not vouch for
Norton Internet Security 2005 if it is worth the purchase. However, there
Anti-Virus seems to do a good job, I can only assume their Firewall
protection would work. I would do a trial edition first.

 

[Guest]

It's fine if you don't tend to install spyware and trojan
horses on your computer. If you tend to be
more "adventurous" in what you install, you might prefer
something like ZoneAlarm which will tell you when your
latest toy is trying to phone home.

Keep in mind though that trying to protect yourself from
software on your own machine is a never-ending arms
race. If you decide that you need Zone Alarm to protect
yourself from your local software, make sure you keep it
up-to-date.

 

[S.Sengupta]

Software firewalls do something that SP2's firewall does not do--block
and filter outbound connections as well. The quote from Microsoft:
"Windows Firewall will automatically allow all outbound connections,
regardless of the program and the user context."
So it's better to have Norton Internet Security 2005.

regards,
ssg MS-MVP
pronetworks.org

 

[Ken Blake]

In

Is the Firewall in SP2 more than adequate enough to prevent
intrusions and guard your privacy while on the internet? I
have a
connection thats always on and was considering Norton Internet
Security 2005. Does anyone have any opinions on this product?
Is it
better or stronger than the SP2 firewall? All opinions
appreciated.

The fact that your connection is always on is irrelevant.
Everyone who connects to the internet needs a good firewall,
regardless of how long he stays on.

No, it's not "more than adequate enough." It's marginal. It
monitors outbound traffic, but not inbound, and therefore does
nothing to stop rogue programs from calling home. For that
reason, I prefer almost any of the third-party offerrings. I use,
for example, the free version of Zone Alarm.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Is the Firewall in SP2 more than adequate enough to prevent
intrusions and guard your privacy while on the internet? I have a
connection thats always on and was considering Norton Internet
Security 2005. Does anyone have any opinions on this product? Is
it
better or stronger than the SP2 firewall? All opinions appreciated.

Thanks.

WinXP's built-in firewall is 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.

--

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

 

[Guest]

Thanks for everyones response. It seems the concensus is that Zone Alarm is
the way to go. I download and install the free version for now and disable
Windows firewall. Thanks again.

 

[Guest]

My system is totally free of any viruses or spyware and running smoothe as
silk. I plan on purchasing NSW 2005 Premier in the very near future.

I just installed ZoneAlarm and I like the way that it alerts me when it has
blocked a potential intrusion...I'll probably get tired of this feature once
I've seen enough. But for now its good to know that its on the J O B.

Thanks for the reply.

Yes, SP2 firewall is quite robust and will stop any uninvited quest to your machine. Are you sure you don't have any spyware and/or trojans in your system? If so then the best thing is to do a clean install of the operating system (SP2 slipstreamed if possible) so that you know for sure that the system is clean. You will still need an anti-virus software as SP2 can't protect you from email viruses or viruses you bring on a CD or on a Disk from your friends house!!.

NIS 2005 is not what you need but Norton Systems Works Premier 2005. (NSW 2005) This has everything you need including anti-virus, Ghost, Norton Utilities etc.

I must emphasize that SP2 is so strong that other programs from M$ rivals may not work properly unless you do some fine tuning of these. I am sure Jupitor Jones (Ms MVP) will help you in this as he has spent many months recommending people to install SP2. At times he was accused of arm twisting to get his way if anyone refused to install SP2. I don't know why he is so obsessed with SP2 but perhaps he is not in gainful employment so he has developed these rare skills for the benefit of M$.

Hope this helps.
Dick Chenney's (VP USA) daughters are lesbians and John Kerry made sure the whole world knew about it!
http://www.microscum.com/ns/mlslies/index.htm

Is the Firewall in SP2 more than adequate enough to prevent intrusions and
guard your privacy while on the internet? I have a connection thats always
on and was considering Norton Internet Security 2005. Does anyone have any
opinions on this product? Is it better or stronger than the SP2 firewall?
All opinions appreciated.

Thanks.

--
I use non Microsoft products wherever possible which requires no activation.

I use Netscape 7.2 as my default browser which has everything I need for my work.

I believe in good Financial Management!! I do not believe in enriching rich jerks!

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

I ran several tests on security websites and my computer running only the
SP2 firewall was determined 100% stealthy on all three sites. The
vulnerabilities were in the browser. Spyware and viruses have to be dealt
with using other types of software. The firewall is not going to stop what
you yourself let in, inadvertently or not.

 

[David Senior [MVP - Most Valuable Provocateur]]

Yes, SP2 firewall is quite robust and will stop any uninvited quest to your machine. Are you sure you don't have any spyware and/or trojans in your system? If so then the best thing is to do a clean install of the operating system (SP2 slipstreamed if possible) so that you know for sure that the system is clean. You will still need an anti-virus software as SP2 can't protect you from email viruses or viruses you bring on a CD or on a Disk from your friends house!!.

NIS 2005 is not what you need but Norton Systems Works Premier 2005. (NSW 2005) This has everything you need including anti-virus, Ghost, Norton Utilities etc.

I must emphasize that SP2 is so strong that other programs from M$ rivals may not work properly unless you do some fine tuning of these. I am sure Jupitor Jones (Ms MVP) will help you in this as he has spent many months recommending people to install SP2. At times he was accused of arm twisting to get his way if anyone refused to install SP2. I don't know why he is so obsessed with SP2 but perhaps he is not in gainful employment so he has developed these rare skills for the benefit of M$.

Hope this helps.
Dick Chenney's (VP USA) daughters are lesbians and John Kerry made sure the whole world knew about it!
http://www.microscum.com/ns/mlslies/index.htm

Is the Firewall in SP2 more than adequate enough to prevent intrusions and
guard your privacy while on the internet? I have a connection thats always
on and was considering Norton Internet Security 2005. Does anyone have any
opinions on this product? Is it better or stronger than the SP2 firewall?
All opinions appreciated.

Thanks.

--
I use non Microsoft products wherever possible which requires no activation.

I use Netscape 7.2 as my default browser which has everything I need for my work.

I believe in good Financial Management!! I do not believe in enriching rich jerks!

 

[David Senior [MVP - Most Valuable Provocateur]]

Yes, SP2 firewall is quite robust and will stop any uninvited quest to your machine. Are you sure you don't have any spyware and/or trojans in your system? If so then the best thing is to do a clean install of the operating system (SP2 slipstreamed if possible) so that you know for sure that the system is clean. You will still need an anti-virus software as SP2 can't protect you from email viruses or viruses you bring on a CD or on a Disk from your friends house!!.

NIS 2005 is not what you need but Norton Systems Works Premier 2005. (NSW 2005) This has everything you need including anti-virus, Ghost, Norton Utilities etc.

I must emphasize that SP2 is so strong that other programs from M$ rivals may not work properly unless you do some fine tuning of these. I am sure Jupitor Jones (Ms MVP) will help you in this as he has spent many months recommending people to install SP2. At times he was accused of arm twisting to get his way if anyone refused to install SP2. I don't know why he is so obsessed with SP2 but perhaps he is not in gainful employment so he has developed these rare skills for the benefit of M$.

Hope this helps.
Dick Chenney's (VP USA) daughters are lesbians and John Kerry made sure the whole world knew about it!
http://www.microscum.com/ns/mlslies/index.htm

Is the Firewall in SP2 more than adequate enough to prevent intrusions and
guard your privacy while on the internet? I have a connection thats always
on and was considering Norton Internet Security 2005. Does anyone have any
opinions on this product? Is it better or stronger than the SP2 firewall?
All opinions appreciated.

Thanks.

--
I use non Microsoft products wherever possible which requires no activation.

I use Netscape 7.2 as my default browser which has everything I need for my work.

I believe in good Financial Management!! I do not believe in enriching rich jerks!

 

[Alex Nichol]

Is the Firewall in SP2 more than adequate enough to prevent intrusions and
guard your privacy while on the internet? I have a connection thats always
on and was considering Norton Internet Security 2005. Does anyone have any
opinions on this product? Is it better or stronger than the SP2 firewall?

The SP2 one is entirely adequate for guarding against external
intrusions. You might want an independent one that would also guard
against malware that has got on the machine trying to phone out. There
are several free ones that do a perfectly good job - eg the free Zone
Alarm. I would not let the Norton product near any machine I have
dealings with

 

[Bruce Chambers]

The firewall is not going
to stop what you yourself let in, inadvertently or not.

Stop? Not by itself, no. But what a properly configured firewall
will do is ask you if you really want that inadvertantly installed
malware to have free rein and access to the Internet, thus alerting
you that you have a problem. WinXP's firewall won't do this.

--

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

 

[David Senior [MVP - Most Valuable Provocateur]]

Ken says:

"No, it's not "more than adequate enough." It's marginal. It monitors outbound traffic, but not inbound, and therefore does nothing to stop rogue programs from calling home."

Are you sure my dear friend Ken? You seem to have got your wires crossed. Babushka (aka Kelly Korner) might have meddled with them! SP2 does monitor inbound traffic; nothing else!!! Get your facts mate! Join the MVPs - Most Valued Provocateaurs!

Best regards,

In

The fact that your connection is always on is irrelevant.
Everyone who connects to the internet needs a good firewall,
regardless of how long he stays on.

No, it's not "more than adequate enough." It's marginal. It
monitors outbound traffic, but not inbound, and therefore does
nothing to stop rogue programs from calling home. For that
reason, I prefer almost any of the third-party offerrings. I use,
for example, the free version of Zone Alarm.

--
I use non Microsoft products wherever possible which requires no activation.

I use Netscape 7.2 as my default browser which has everything I need for my work.

I believe in good Financial Management!! I do not believe in enriching rich jerks!

 

[Jimmy]

The fact that your connection is always on is irrelevant.
Everyone who connects to the internet needs a good firewall,
regardless of how long he stays on.

No, it's not "more than adequate enough." It's marginal. It
monitors outbound traffic, but not inbound, and therefore does
nothing to stop rogue programs from calling home. For that
reason, I prefer almost any of the third-party offerrings. I use,
for example, the free version of Zone Alarm.

Bwahahahahahaha!, you dumb cünt, the XP firewall ONLY monitors inbound traffic. WTF gave you that MVP award LOL???

 

[Ken Blake]

In

Bwahahahahahaha!, you dumb cünt, the XP firewall ONLY monitors
inbound traffic. WTF gave you that MVP award LOL???

Your foul mouth and your rudeness notwithstanding, you are
correct. I wrote it backwards, as should be apparent from the
statement "does nothing to stop rogue programs from calling
home."