Forum Moderators: phranque
My question is, how good is the Windows Firewall?
I ran a scan for vulnerability on the symantec website and everything came up as Stealth but am not sure it means much.
Also I do not know how often the Windows Firewall is updated, which concerns me.
I am using NOD 32 for anti-virus which has to be the lightest AV system I have ever used. Seems to work well although it definitely cannot be described as a pretty / user friendly product.
What you would also need is Windows Defender as this will check for spyware, trojans etc.
I also recommend running the Microsoft Live Safety Scanner regularly. It's free for now.
How good is it as a one way firewall? and does anyone know how often it updates?
Any recommendations for a stand alone firewall?
My favorite feature is that it prompts you whenever a program tries to access the web. (You can whitelist programs as well, so it isn't a annoying)
ESET, the makers of NOD32, have a new security suite out in beta [eset.com]. It includes a firewall and looks promising. I don't think I'd consider any other security suite product on the market today.
Right now it looks like Comodo and Jetico lead the list in terms of their security.
I have been very impressed with NOD32 so far. Compared to other AV systems I have used it is amazingly light.
I will look into their firewall beta as suggested. Thanks.
If you have a broadband connection, and more than one computer, you probably already have good protection in the form of a hardware NAT device/firewall (e.g. "router"). And they are cheap enough that you ought to have one even if you have only one computer.
I've used ZoneAlarm in the past, but don't any more, because it is a PITA. The problem is that (I suppose due to an underlying lack of information in Windows) ZoneAlarm isn't able to sufficiently identify applications making outbound connections. You just get used to saying "yes" to <some cryptic application or DLL name> is attempting to access the Internet...
I've had the windows firewall block ports so I don't think it can be one way only.
Right. You have it block INCOMING ports.
It allows all outbound traffic, though.
It won't/can't protect you from some rogue program installed on your computer "phoning home".
The Zone Alarm approach is a good one for that purpose, except for the confusion on the part of the average user in regard to identifying programs that are accessing the Internet. Not sure if this situation is better with Vista.
Hardware firewalls (and many software firewalls - just not Microsoft's) can typically block outgoing ports as well. But this is less useful than it sounds. Most spyware, etc. uses port 80, which you need open outbound to browse the web. So, the real issue then becomes *what program* is doing the outbound access, and is it one you have approved. This can only be done with software running on the PC.
I have used ZA in the past, and also NIS from 2002 to 2007.
I have to admit that I am so amazed at NOD32 as my AV system that I am tempted to stick with Windows until they (NOD) release a non-Beta Suite which includes a firewall like bill mentioned.
It allows all outbound traffic, though.
That's true of previous versions of Windows Firewall - the Vista incarnation allows outbound rulesets and will already have some outbound ports blocked, depending on the setup options chosen when Windows is installed.
