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Dominick
@optonline.net

Dominick

Anon

Firewall a necessity for newly install winxp + Trusted sites

Is it necessary to install and configure a firewall?

Because i am only going to browse trusted sites and do some online gaming

And not going to download any unknown .exe
redwolfe_98
Premium Member
join:2001-06-11

3 edits

1 recommendation

redwolfe_98

Premium Member

imo, if you are running windows xp, yes, you should have a firewall running before connecting to the internet..

if you have win xpsp2 installed, the "windows firewall" should be running, by default..

if you have all of the updates for win xpsp2, from microsoft's "windows updates" website, then your computer would not be as vulnerable as it would have been without the updates..

i am not familiar with "vista" and any vulnerablities that it might have, but i would still use a firewall..
mysec
Premium Member
join:2005-11-29

mysec to Dominick

Premium Member

to Dominick
Click for full size
Probes
________________________________________________________________

It depends. Trusted sites don't mean much. Just being connected to the internet makes you a target.

If you can insure that all ports are closed, and system patches uptodate, then *maybe* not necessary. I've tested this way successfully on my win2k system, but wouldn't recommend it in most situations. Too many uncertainties with Services, etc.

Consider this set of common probes (above screenshot) from a short time ago on my system:

the normal trojan ports
messenger ports
VNC port
SQL Slammer
said by Dominick :

And not going to download any unknown .exe

A firewall would not help here.

The Snowman
Premium Member
join:2007-05-20

1 recommendation

The Snowman to Dominick

Premium Member

to Dominick


DOM, hi,

It is Highly suggested that if you are not going to use the built-in XP firewall that you should install another firewall........I just read an article yesterday stating than on average a computer without a firewall gets hacked in under four minutes.......according to the article.

To configure a firewall is not really difficult these days......its mostly done automatically depending on the firewall you install......I have seen some good reviews of Online Armor (freeware version) so maybe you should see if it meets your needs.

The XP firewall will protect the computer....but has no outbound notifications. Its definitely better than nothing.

ManOfSnow
@verizon.net

ManOfSnow to Dominick

Anon

to Dominick


LoL....well I am not going to provide a Link because it appears that the website was hacked.....so instead will just post what I could still copy from the site:

___________________________________

"The majority of home PCs are running some form of Windows-based platform and it is important for them to know that the moment they connect to the Internet, they are almost immediately under some form of Internet attack," said Marcus Colombano, partner at Avantgarde and co-investigator of this experiment. "Windows XP Service Pack 1 with ZoneAlarm was the most secure machine out of all the Windows-based systems tested due to its ability to stealth a computer while online and block unauthorized access. In addition, this third-party firewall contains an important feature that asks users for permission when a program attempts to access the Internet, a feature not included in Windows XP Service Pack 2."

"This experiment underscores the need for consumers to have a personal firewall enabled every time they go online because of automated attacks that are consistently launched on the Internet," said Kevin Mitnick, co-investigator and founder of Mitnick Security Consulting LLC, a security consulting firm. "Owners of Microsoft's Service Pack 2 already have an integrated inbound firewall but to be adequately protected, a personal firewall with inbound and outbound traffic blocking capabilities is essential. This capability can be found in several third-party firewall products, some of which are free and publicly available. If computer users fail to install a firewall onto their home PC, it's just a matter of time before they get hacked."

Malware such as spyware, worms and Trojan horses, can be transferred through e-mail, instant messages, peer-to-peer programs and routine Web browsing. Once loaded onto a computer, these threats have the ability to monitor a user's online activities, capture keystrokes to steal credit card numbers, financial data, usernames and passwords, and communicate this information back to a hacker.

____________________________

This apears to be somewhat outdated .

DownTheShore
Pray for Ukraine
Premium Member
join:2003-12-02
Beautiful NJ

DownTheShore to Dominick

Premium Member

to Dominick
said by Dominick :

Is it necessary to install and configure a firewall?

Because i am only going to browse trusted sites and do some online gaming

And not going to download any unknown .exe
There is evil lurking everywhere.....

Dominick
@optonline.net

1 recommendation

Dominick to Dominick

Anon

to Dominick
Alright guys and gals

I've done some reading and i now decided that i will use a firewall with HIPS

I chose Comodo, It also has a built in defense. The defense...It's like HIPS correct?

Thanks for all the help

Oh yes! Evil is lurking around every single corner, How unfortunate

Bubba17
Less is More
Premium Member
join:2006-09-21

Bubba17

Premium Member

said by Dominick :

I chose Comodo, It also has a built in defense.
And, should you and Comodo not find happiness, I really like Online Armor »www.tallemu.com/ . Their free offering is excellent, as is Comodo.

Dominick
@optonline.net

Dominick to Dominick

Anon

to Dominick
Is online armor "Free verson" any good

Does it compare?

I am not sure

I think they said the paid version is better

poppster
Tell the truth and then run.
Premium Member
join:2003-12-23
Midwest

1 recommendation

poppster

Premium Member

said by Dominick :

Is online armor "Free verson" any good

Does it compare?

I am not sure

I think they said the paid version is better
While the paid version offers a few more tools, the free version is just as reliable as Comodo. Both score 100% in various leak tests from Matousec.com.

But I feel being behind a NAT router with a built in firewall is enough for me however. Tallemu has a really good product however.

Bubba17
Less is More
Premium Member
join:2006-09-21

Bubba17

Premium Member

said by poppster:

Tallemu has a really good product however.
.. yep. Fact is, the whole operation is top-notch.

Someone using/liking their free offering, while investing some forum time and seeing the level of product support being provided, just might not be able to resist buying a license!

I couldn't.

KoRnGtL15
Premium Member
join:2007-01-04
Grants Pass, OR

KoRnGtL15 to Dominick

Premium Member

to Dominick
For sure! I have a router and still use a software firewall. My top 3 freebies for firewalls are Online Armor, Comodo and ZoneAlarm. ZA and OA being the easiest to configure and for get.

ltsnow
Premium Member
join:2006-04-08
Valdosta, GA

1 recommendation

ltsnow to Bubba17

Premium Member

to Bubba17
said by Bubba17:

said by Dominick :

I chose Comodo, It also has a built in defense.
And, should you and Comodo not find happiness, I really like Online Armor »www.tallemu.com/ . Their free offering is excellent, as is Comodo.
Thanks for that. I'm trying it out and it seems quite good.

ZZZZZZZ
Premium Member
join:2001-05-27
PARADISE

ZZZZZZZ to Dominick

Premium Member

to Dominick
Another vote for OA...great firewall .

EGeezer
Premium Member
join:2002-08-04
Midwest

EGeezer to Dominick

Premium Member

to Dominick
One can get by with the Windows XP firewall, but its application monitoring application features are somewhat lacking. The software firewalls mentioned by the other folks are more robust in this area than the XP firewall.

Many people, including me and my customers, have software firewalls on the PCs as well as hardware firewalls to protect the perimeter network, even if there is only one PC.

My reasoning behind this is twofold;

First, the router/firewall offloads the inbound blocking and logging workload from the PC(s) they serve. It also allows the user to use the software firewall's logging features to log or notify of local events without inundating them with voluminous log entries of internet noise.

Second, I found evidence a long time back (see »Re: firewall shutdown when updating ? ) that software firewalls may shut down when they are updating themselves. With an inexpensive router/firewall, the PC is still protected from unsolicited inbound connection attempts like those mysec See Profile posted. More discussion at »firewall shutdown when updating ?

As you can see by the topic dates, this was four years ago. As far as I know, ZA didn't subsequently answer the question, nor do vendors clearly indicate whether or not their products leave the PC connected without protection during their self-updates.

Its a Secret
Please speak into the microphone
Premium Member
join:2008-02-23
Da wet coast

Its a Secret to Dominick

Premium Member

to Dominick
EG, I agree. A router is mandatory gear this days as is a soft FW. If one fails, the other is there for BU. Together, a strong defense on the web.

giannis
@home.otenet.gr

giannis to redwolfe_98

Anon

to redwolfe_98
the dafault firewall of windows is better than other firewalls?»i.dslr.net/v2/lite/grey/ ··· less.gif
The Snowman
Premium Member
join:2007-05-20

The Snowman

Premium Member



giannis..., you ended your comment with a question mark.......are you asking if windows firewall is better...or stating that its better ?
The Windows Firewall blocks in-coming connections, however , it has no outbound controls. Outbound controls can play a highly important role.....alerting the Users of installed trojans , viruses , Worms , etc., or just your everyday malware calling home .
No , the Windows Firewall is not a bad firewall for blocking in-coming connections....it does it's job in that respect...but its just not a complete firewall. Firewalls have vastly improved since Windows Xp firewall first came out.....un-fortunately , the Windows Firewall has not improved over the years...it's the same old same old.