Firewall

Do I really need to run a firewall
Our company computer guru dosent run a firewall and says..stay off the porn and you will have no problems

I use AVG and Super antispyware
I have shut down Windows firewall and it seems my computer is faster

What do you say ATS.. are firewalls necessary ?

I say absolutely. It's really funny because I've heard it said that you can do without spyware and virus software if you stay away from the porn, but that having some sort of firewall is very important. The one exception I would say is if you're on a home network with a router; a lot of those come with a built-in firewall these days.

reply to post by granpabobby


Explanation: S&F!

It is COMPLETELY depends on the individuals personal current and environmenatal factors!

Personal Disclosure: I run ZERO security suites and NO firewall and this is purely due to those factors I detailed above. I have minimal problems in just generally using ATS , Google , Wiki and many other common websites!

P.S. Both my brothers are IT experts [network engineer / repair and install technician] and my dad is a computer programmer from the late 1960's onwards. All have worked for the Australian Public Service in varying levels of responsibility! I however AM NOT AN EXPERT at all! So take what I say with a pinch of salt and seek a 2nd opinion asap!

Edited to add ... that the 1st thing I open on my PC once booted is TaskManager and I watch it like a freaking starving Hawk!

if you have a router then it will be doing the job of a firewall anyway so it maybe not needed but if you have a brother/roommate/whatever who likes to download all sorts of crap with no cares then its probably best to protect yourself

while staying of the pr0n is good advice alot of the malware/viruses are from hacked sites where the owner set the password to something stupid so the naughty people can add their scripts to the site

reply to post by granpabobby


Well if you don't visit malicious websites then for the most part you should be fine. But you are still open to direct attacks by a hacker. A firewall helps protect your ports and detect suspicious activity. It is much easier for a hacker to find an exploit and gain access to your machine if you don't have a firewall.

I can think of many reasons why a stand-alone hardware firewall is an absolute necessity for protecting even the smallest business network but five reasons stand out against the rest.

First, from personal experience, it is too easy for hackers today to circumvent the software firewalls now standard in computer operating systems.

Second, without a stand-alone hardware firewall it will be impossible to ensure TCP port stealth against a port scan from the internet. The best security is to appear to be invisible and when an unsolicited packet is sent to any device on the network, nothing should be sent back to the hacker. It would be a maintenance nightmare to ensure that every network device independently show stealth properties.

Third, a stand-alone hardware firewall easily accommodates reassignment of your external IP address one or more times per day. Regular changing of the external IP address combined with port stealth will thwart most external threats. Without a firewall the “keep alive” features in Windows prevents dropping of the internet connection and will lock your network into the same external IP address day after day greatly reducing your security.

Fourth, a stand-alone hardware firewall makes implementation of a private/public key authentication protocol, such as LDAP, easy to implement. LDAP makes your network easier to maintain and greatly improves overall security. Private/public key authentication is required for computer networks governed by the Sarbane Oxley Act.

Finally, the fifth reason is that a good hardware firewall is available for less than $200. IMO no business can justify not using a hardware firewall.

Best regards,
Z

Note: If a fixed IP address is needed to accept customers uploads, for example, I suggest this computer be physically separate from the general office hardware.

reply to post by granpabobby


You probably already have a firewall on the equipment you use to connect to the Internet (most ADSL router or cable modems have a built-in firewall).

To be sure, you can test it here.

I use a Clearwire cable modem
AVG antivirus and Super anti spyware
as i understand it AVG and Super both scan everything comeing in
I visit few sites all are safe
Multiple firewalls slow down the computer

reply to post by granpabobby


Explanation: Ok here is what I recommend...

Keep it all installed and running... its already there doing its job!

That should be your default situation in general computer use.

Now if you want to go faster ... then simply de-activate it as required!

Don't forget to reactivate it when you have finished!

Just be aware of where your going and what your doing and adapt to the moment!

Personal Disclosure: Be Safe 1st! and then have fun!

reply to post by granpabobby


Multiple software firewalls slow down the computer, but, as I understand it, neither AVG or Super anti spyware are firewalls, as they only act on the received files instead of blocking the communication that transmits the files.

In my case, as I have only the hardware firewall on my wireless router (that is connected to the cable modem), incoming communications that were not asked for are blocked, but all outgoing communications are allowed. If I activate the Windows firewall then I can also block programs on my computer from communicating with the outside, a good way of detecting rogue programs that may have eluded the anti-virus and/or the anti-spyware programs.

PS: anti-virus software, as far as I know, slows the computer much more than a firewall, and two anti-virus are a sure way of slowing down a computer.

Originally posted by granpabobby
What do you say ATS.. are firewalls necessary ?

you need firewall, one of the best and free on internet is comodo internet firewall

just google "comodo firewall"

btw, if you use lots of software, sharing, torrent, this comodo firewall might explicitly block them until you said it is "OK" to let those packets in or out, so just wanna let you know, it sures gonna break lots of flexibility in order to get you secure.

I Use Peerblock. Then add custom Whitelist/Blacklist setups. Works great.

Peerblock Website

Comodo Firewall Free

and Online Armor Free

are two of the top rated fire Firewall programs you can use. You can set it to stealth mode for your ports so you are invisible online to people using port scans looking for random people to hack.