XP Firewall & Kerio combo

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ramesh
  • Start date Start date
R

Ramesh

Hi,

I understand that it is not good sense to have more than one software
firewall active. So would i understand right that it s better I turn off
the XP firewall once I have installed Kerio Firewall?

Forgive it s dumb question. Just playing safe.

Thanks
Ramesh
 
That's not a dumb question.

It is a bad idea to have two software firewalls running at the same
time, as they interfere with each other and so reduce your security.
Most recent firewalls, if not all, won't even install if they detect the
presence of another third party firewall already installed. OTOH, most
SP 2-compatible firewalls automatically turn off Windows Firewall, so no
conflict there.
 
Ramesh said:
I understand that it is not good sense to have more than one software
firewall active.
Click to expand...


Correct. 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."


So would i understand right that it s better I turn
off the XP firewall once I have installed Kerio Firewall?
Click to expand...


Yes (although installing Kerio will probably tirn it off for you). 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.

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.

Forgive it s dumb question. Just playing safe.
Click to expand...


Not a dumb question at all.
 
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