BleepingComputer.com: Best Firewall

What are your opinions of Windows Firewall? Do you think it is capable of dealing with todays threats? Is there any other low cost solution that I might be able to implement that would offer added protection?

I guess Windows Firewall does do a Decent job; but I use Comodo, which is Free. With Comodo, you know what is going around you. W Firewall is just.. There.

Comodo and Online Armor are all the rage nowadays but my rigs, all behind a NAT router, have been safe for years with just plain old Zone Alarm Free (ZAF).

FiOS Dan, on Mar 3 2009, 06:12 PM, said:

Don't most new routers have a hardware firewall installed?
If so, you shouldn't really require a strong Firewall; it's just there in case..

I think a FW is still important to monitor outbound activity.

It's best to have a firewall installed on a computer, especially one to replace Windows Firewall (not sure if Vista's firewall is the same or if it has outbound as well) since it only monitors things going into your computer.

Yeah, says the guy who still uses Windows Firewall. I'm such a hypocrite!

This post has been edited by scff249: 03 March 2009 - 08:34 PM

The worst that can happen to you is some malware you never knew you installed phoning out with your banking details.

A good outbound firewall will alert you to that, so yes I vote for Comodo or Online Armor before Windows.

Very good article below. Personally, I too use a Firewall with outbound monitoring, but I also feel that the Windows Firewall, behind a Hardware Firewall, is plenty sufficient for the average user and in fact, use this setup on our other household computer.

Quote

Is an outbound firewall needed?



Edit: Added text.

This post has been edited by RedDawn: 04 March 2009 - 11:27 AM

Windows XP firewall protects against port scanning but has limitations and it is no replacement for a robust 3rd-party two-way personal firewall.

• The XP firewall is not a full featured firewall. Normal firewalls allow you to specifically control each TCP and UDP port but XP’s firewall does not provide you with this capability. Instead, it takes a point and click approach to enabling or disabling a few common ports.
  
• The XP firewall does a good job of monitoring, examining and blocking inbound traffic but makes no attempt to filter or block outbound traffic like most 3rd-party personal firewalls.
  
• Thus, the XP firewall does not identify which programs attempt to initiate outbound network or Internet communications nor does it block the traffic when suspicious activity occurs.
  • This feature can be helpful in preventing many types of malware attacks that may attempt to open ports or communicate with outside servers without the user's knowledge or consent. It also means that if your system has been compromised, a hacker could use your machine as part of a distributed denial of service attack.
  
  
• By default, Windows Firewall rejects all incoming traffic unless that traffic is in response to a previous outgoing request. If you're running Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), Windows Firewall is turned on by default. If your Firewall is not turned on by default, then your using an unpatched OS and need to update your system to SP2.

Windows Vista Firewall offers two-way filtering for better security but its the bare minimum and still limited. By default, most outbound filtering is turned off (outbound connections are allowed) and inbound filtering is turned on (inbound connections are blocked). Configuration is confusing and there is no practical way to to configure outbound filtering to stop all unwanted outbound connections. You can only turn inbound filtering on or off, and through the various tabs, configure how inbound filtering works. Read Vista Firewall Fails on Outbound Security and Windows Vista's half-cocked firewall.

Choosing a firewall is a matter of personal preference, your technical ability/experience, features offered, the amount of resources utilized, how it may affect system performance and what will work best for your system. A particular firewall that works well for one person may not work as well for another. You may need to experiment and find the one most suitable for your use.

Before installing a 3rd-party firewall, make sure you turn off the the Windows firewall. For instructions with screenshots, see How to turn off the Windows Firewall in SP2 or How to turn on or off the Windows Vista Firewall.

Using two software firewalls on a single computer could cause issues with connectivity to the Internet or other unexpected behavior. Further, running multiple software firewalls can cause conflicts that are hard to identify and troubleshoot. Only one of the firewalls can receive the packets over the network and process them. Sometimes you may even have a conflict that causes neither firewall to protect your connection. However, you can use a hardware firewall (your router) and a software firewall (Kerio or ZoneAlarm) in conjunction.

I use KIS 2009

I think it is bordering on stupity,to put banking details on ones Computer.
These malware writers are clever,and will always find a way to infiltrate your Computer.
It is much easier to do your banking,online,but is the risk worth it?
Not for me,it's not.

My bank log-ins are not stored on the computer but have to be typed in every time. The danger is a keylogger sending them out.

When you have a bank account in another country you have to operate it remotely, so good security is essential.

I use a Comodo vpn called TrustConnect when connecting via wifi which will prevent any eavesdropping on the wifi network. I also block the network with the Comodo firewall.

None of my log ins are stored. Instead, I have them written on a piece of paper that I place in this folder that no one would bother to look in.

I have just had to reformat my windows XP Home , lost some pics etc. I have installed the free version of Avast Home. Somehow ny pc isn't as fast as when I first bought it, so as I was trying to figure out the problem ...I removed avg and replaced with Avast - still the same. So I unchecked Windows XP Firewall and now all is fine. However, after doing this, Avast keeps popping up with the message that it's blocking something every 5 or 10 mins (forgot the exact words , something like Sheild Blocked etc). I am worried what if Avast misses one, so I should have a firewall right? (Pls tell me if it is not necessary)If I do, what firewall is secure but doesn't slow dowm my pc . Speed is very very important to me. Thanks all. Pls reply

Speed is a big issue for me. I'm using Zone Alarm right now and the lag it produces is beginning to get annoying. I think I will try comodo next and see if it improves. As of late i have been extremely paranoid about security. I've shredded all important files and encrypted the rest with super encryption onto flash drives but even with that I still worry that someone might get into them. I almost feel like burning everything and moving into a cave to avoid all these security issues!