doo i needa firewall????

[Smokey0066]

well now that i've got my cable and router up.. do i really need a firewall? and if so what should i be looking at?

thanks.

 

[minendo]

You should just download ZoneAlarm. I don't see the need for you to have a hardware firewall.

 

[UThamburglar11]

ZoneAlarm works great, and if you are running XP and are really paranoid use the firewall option in XP on top of ZoneAlarm :Q

 

[Goosemaster]

and if you are really paranoid, do what I did

Of course, using Smoothwall, you still need a dumy computer to use for it, and I keep zone alarm on all my machines regardless.

 

[n0cmonkey]

security in layers is almost always a better solution.

Goosemaster, you're not that paranoid.

 

[McCarthy]

No.

What's your IP address and when is your computer on?



Until you're running so much security stuff that it's adversly affecting your computing experience what's the downside?

 

[Jman13]

I had problems with ZoneAlarm under WinXP, so I use Tiny Personal Firewall. Works very well. If you are on a permanent connection, you really REALLY should have a firewall of some sort.

 

[fendel]

When I first got broadband, I was using a Linksys router (along with the Cisco 675 the DSL provider sent me) and figured the network address translation would be like a firewall... more or less.

One day I was shutting down my PC and a dialog box popped up. Something like:
If you shut down, user GIORDI will be disconnected. Continue?

!!?!??!?

Next time I booted up, first thing I did was install ZoneAlarm. It logs plenty of suspicious traffic attempting to reach my computer, although I'm under the impression that most of it is innocuous. I haven't a clue how this gets past the router, but maybe I have something misconfigured (but no, I don't have a DMZ set up...). FWIW, I'm running Windows XP and haven't had any trouble with ZoneAlarm. I'm running the free version of 2.6.

 

[mycaputmundi]

I personaly use Zone Alarm Pro (don't remember which version) along with my Linksys router.

The router will block incoming traffic while the software firewall will block outgoing traffic. If you are using both and you don't use any apps that require you to open ports on your router then you should be pretty safe. You can always go here: www.grc.com this site will test the security on your network.

I also highly suggest that you have anti virus running on each of your computers and keep them up to date. Especially if you download a lot.

I recommend that if you have high speed internet access, and especially if your on a network (LAN) that you use these 3 items: Router, software firewall, and anti virus.

-Caput

 

[MasterHoss]

No. I'm guessing you have a switch/router. You have a HARDWARE firewall already. Moreover, software firewall is nothing but bull sh!t. Yeah, you're right I'm running software firewall on my computer even though my apartment complex has implemented hardware firewall. But trust me, it'll do nothing to protect your computer by running software firewall. I just run it for the hell of it knowing that it can easily be hacked (especially because of a certain magazine publication about 2 or 3 months ago showing how to sneak through all the popular software firewall programs out there. Yup, that means that a 2 year old can just read and follow the directions...)

 

[Goosemaster]

<< Goosemaster, you're not that paranoid. >>



Hells yea....


.....I have to take take of my flock don't I? Damn geese poop everywhere...last week I got a damn ticket becau.....




AS for the firewall, remeber that the key to how they work is not that they stop stuff from coming in, but that they also stop things from going out...you info passwords etc.

That is why if you set the firewall to let you verify operations, you will see a lot of requests,many times ones you wouldn't have known about otherwise

 

[BreakApart]

You should have something running either: NAT, or firewall, or zone alarm.....something.

Zone alarm does have 1 major bonus, it can detect when YOUR computer tries to contact the web without your permission-(trojan activity).

To not use any internet security software is like leaving the front door to your house wide open when you go on vacation. Considering any kid with an internet connection can download and use connection/port scanning software to find your unprotected computer in a matter of minutes it would be silly not too.

 

[mycaputmundi]

I highly agree with BreakApart. NAT is pretty good, but having some kind of software firewall (zone alarm, etc.) as well as updated anti-virus is a good idea. My 2 cents worth.

-Caput

 

[tristramshandy]

Another Zone Alarm vote -- fine product.


"Correct spelling, indeed, is one of the arts that are far more esteemed" -- Shouldn't that be "spelling is one of the arts that is esteemed? [with the antecedent of the pronoun "that" being "one"]" You'd figure that Mencken, the grand old man of American letters, would have picked-up on a subject-verb agreement error.

 

[n0cmonkey]

<< No. I'm guessing you have a switch/router. You have a HARDWARE firewall already. Moreover, software firewall is nothing but bull sh!t. Yeah, you're right I'm running software firewall on my computer even though my apartment complex has implemented hardware firewall. But trust me, it'll do nothing to protect your computer by running software firewall. I just run it for the hell of it knowing that it can easily be hacked (especially because of a certain magazine publication about 2 or 3 months ago showing how to sneak through all the popular software firewall programs out there. Yup, that means that a 2 year old can just read and follow the directions...) >>



j00 r u51n9 7h3 wr0ng f1r3w4ll!

Software firewalls help, no matter what some lame magazine said.

 

[Charles]

I'm surprised that nobody mentioned Kerio Personal Firewall. It's a very good firewall, IMO.

 

[m2kewl]

I run a pix 501, only b/c I also need to connect to work via vpn. Personally I would use hardware fw over sw but I have ZoneAlarm on my pcs too.

 

[n0cmonkey]

<< I run a pix 501, only b/c I also need to connect to work via vpn. Personally I would use hardware fw over sw but I have ZoneAlarm on my pcs too. >>



Depending on the hardware firewall, they can be less configurable than software based firewalls. Thats why I use OpenBSD

But I have been considering getting a velociraptor(sp?) from symantec. They seem pretty neat and Ive heard great things about them.

 

[sharkeeper]

Don't assign an IP address to your computer. You can't be hacked without an IP address!

Cheers!

 

[n0cmonkey]

<< Don't assign an IP address to your computer. You can't be hacked without an IP address!

Cheers! >>



Thats wrong. But whatever makes ya feel better

 

[JackBurton]

<< Thats wrong. But whatever makes ya feel better >>


agree

 

[sharkeeper]

<< << Thats wrong. But whatever makes ya feel better >>


agree
>>



Perhaps I should have been more specific and said unbind TCP/IP from all network adapters!

Cheers!

 

[JackMDS]

Just incase someone care to know why you need a software firewall on top of the Hardware firewall provided by the Router?

In general, security issues involves:

1. Unauthorized Internet traffic coming in (from the Internet to your computer).
2. Unauthorized Information going out (from your Hard Drive to some one else Web Server).

The latter is done mainly by programs that are ?calling home?. Unfortunately, the amount of programs that are calling home is growing by the day. The last scan of my Hard Drive showed more then 50 programs that are capable of calling home, this is not necessarily ?bad?, but I would like to be in charge of this process. A good Software Firewall is capable to put you in control of this process.

The Router?s Firewall secures mainly the Incoming traffic, to secure the Outgoing aspect you need to add Software Firewall.

 

[n0cmonkey]

<<

<< << Thats wrong. But whatever makes ya feel better >>


agree
>>



Perhaps I should have been more specific and said unbind TCP/IP from all network adapters!

Cheers! >>



Netbeui, netbios(?), ipxspx, appetalk, local console, stealing hard drives (the last two are barely hacking though)

Or social engineering like Mitnick used. Call up companies and have them give you access.

 

[sharkeeper]

<< Netbeui, netbios(?), ipxspx, appetalk, local console, stealing hard drives (the last two are barely hacking though)

Or social engineering like Mitnick used. Call up companies and have them give you access. >>



Well that becomes a local security issue and is dealt with swiftly.



<< Unauthorized Information going out (from your Hard Drive to some one else Web Server). >>



This is a big concern of late. Just install ZA and watch how much it complains of programs wanting access! It's ridiculous!

Cheers!