XP SP2 firewall vs Zone Alarm

[donnaL]

I have Zone Alarm (Free version), and have just downloaded
XP SP2 and disabled the XP firewall. Can anyone say which
one is better? Also, does the XP firewall work the same as
Zone Alarm and allow you to decide who to let through and
who not to?

 

[Jerry]

Zone Alarm is better.

 

[bullwinkel J. Moose]

ZA is a 2-way system XP firewall only blocks asnything coming in but not
going out. ZA is definetly better.

 

[Guest]

Bullwinkle is talking bull...t.

XP2 Firewall is quite OK! and does have 2 -way...here's just a few words,
but look further on the web and realise just how good it is at last.

•Network protection. These security technologies help to provide better
protection against network-based attacks, like MSBlaster, through a number of
innovations, including enhancements to Windows Firewall. The enhancements
include turning on Windows Firewall in default installations of Service Pack
2, closing ports except when they are in use, improving the user interface
for configuration, improving application compatibility when Windows Firewall
is on, and enhancing enterprise administration of Windows Firewall through
Group Policy. The attack surface of the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) service
is reduced, and you can run RPC objects with reduced credentials. The
Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) infrastructure also has additional
access control restrictions to reduce the risk of a successful network attack

•Enhanced browsing security. Security technologies that are delivered in
Microsoft Internet Explorer provide improved protection against malicious
content on the Web. One enhancement includes locking down the Local Machine
zone to prevent against the running of malicious scripts and fortifying
against harmful Web downloads. Additionally, better user controls and user
interfaces are provided that help prevent malicious ActiveX® controls and
spyware from running on customers’ systems without their knowledge and
consent.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

The "next generation" Windows Firewall included with SP2, while
vastly superior to the original ICF in terms of visibility, usability
and configurability, is still rather lacking, as a solid security
component. It still can't supplant 3rd-party solutions, nor is it
intended to do so; rather, it's intended to complement them. And, like
the original ICF, it will not monitor out-going traffic.

WinXP's built-in firewall is _adequate_ at stopping incoming
attacks, and hiding your ports from probes. 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.


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

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

No, that's completely incorrect. SP2's new Windows Firewall does
_not_ monitor outbound traffic. (And _nothing_ in those paragraphs
you lifted from the web says it does.)

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