What firewall do you use at home?

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how does the router configure port access and what traffics allowed inside the pc etc?

Is it just the same a software configuring?

 

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Pretty much. But if I remember correctly, by default, it blocks anything I don't specifically send out for (for instance, I send a request over port 80 for a Web page, and that Web page is allowed in).

 

It's free. What do you have to lose by giving it a go?

 

Decided to go for comodo firewall pro

 

Good choice, mate!

 

Did you need to update the hardware firewalls like the software ones?

 

I use Zone Alarm 7 pro with PC tools Spyware doctor, AVG antivirus pro.

You can use the gibson research site to check you firewall security with Shields R UP

just scroll down to hotspots and click on shields are up to check if your firewall is working!!

 

I use what zeb said before about the WRT54G with DD-WRT firmware. Love it, it never crashes for me, no complaints at all. Plus it has the SPI firewall.

 

This would be the first question a hacker would ask to penetrate a network

 

yeah I got the free version of zone alarm too, its awesome
Plus I can select what connections to deny internet access connections.
Iam also running spybot, and avira anti-vir personal which detect virus on the fly, anti vir alone is great and save my butt many times, cant recommended a better free anti virus then that.

 

hey, Mathematix the comodo fire looks like a good alternative to ZA but it doesn't support Windows Vista?
Can you suggest another freebie that does?

 

Apparently they are developing one to work with vista, might be a while though cos nowt else works with vista yet

 

OK having read the rest of this thread. Can anyone suggest a freebie firewall that is not Zone Alarm and can used on windows Vista 32bit!

I recently installed ZA on my neighbours PC and although he has a hardware firewall on his Router he still requested a software one. I had install ZA 6 free but he complained there were too many pop ups and it slowed his PC down? So I changed the settings to disable message pop ups messages and block slightly but he doesn't like the user interface??

There must another one out there design for idiots to use err I mean have a user friendly interface

 

Cheers GBL how are you getting on with the new firewall is it easy to setup and use?

 

he doesnt want comodo even if it did work as it can be quite advanced

I have heard ASHAMPOO firewall works on vista but not sure what its like.

 

Actually he just told me today that he did see a free software firewall in a PC magazine that had an excellent interface. BUT!! he can't remember what the magazine was called or the firewall but he did say it began with"M" it took a lot of energy not to burst out laughing in his face when he told me this

 

Comodo is easy to use but I wouldn't reccomend it to a non techy person, as basically you choose what to let it do. Its not like the windows one where it just runs in the background it needs properly configured.

I got it as it scored the highest in leakage tests i.e nothing got past it.

 

Which site did you use to test the firewall?

 

I didn't test it, those were the results I read in PC advisor magazine, I have had absolutley no attempts at intrusion since I set it up so I guess its doing its job.

 

I guarantee you that you HAVE had intrusion attempts GBL - I get somewhere in the order of 1200-1500 per day. What's happening is that the software firewall you are using isn't reporting those attempts. That's fine and dandy if it's all working (and I've no reason to suspect that it isn't). You should still, however, on a regular basis review the logfiles the firewall generates.

I once got called in to do a healthcheck on a local business (small bakery - only five staff, three PCs sharing an internet connection). They said the firewall was working as they hadn't received any alerts from it indicating anything to the contrary, but that all their PCs were running slow.

Someone had installed a program with a backdoor to an IRC channel and, because the program didn't work properly, they disabled the alerting feature on the firewall 'because they thought that would get it up and running'. End result: three PCs with around 250Gb of space between them, 220 Gb of which was pirated movies being served up as warez via invite-only FTP (presumably over the IRC channel that the backdoor was communicating with)

Check the logs just to be sure - it's an education in itself just seeing the crap that hits your perimeter. I'm amazed that BlueSquander STILL doesn't block some inbound NetBIOS traffic...