neuro Posted September 30, 2009 ID:135800 Share Posted September 30, 2009 Hello all,I am looking for some advice or recommendations for firewall software. I haven't seen any topics about this recently, so hopefully this will be a useful discussion for others as well.I have recently cleaned some malware off of an older laptop running on XP Pro SP3 thanks to excellent assistance from the staff here (I am now a paid user, since I was so impressed by the help I received). It is currently using Windows Firewall, but from what I gather, there are lots of better options available. I was hoping to know what firewall software people have had best results with.Some things that I am keeping in mind as I look for better firewall protection: I am replacing the current system with a new one in the near future, but there are some programs on the current laptop that are still quite useful. Since it won't be used as often, though, I would rather have a firewall that isn't overly expensive.Thanks in advance! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
srtools1980y Posted September 30, 2009 ID:135870 Share Posted September 30, 2009 Hello neuro,I'll just share my experience.Avira Premium Security Suite has an inbuilt firewall ,which I am using in one of my systems.I find it's doing a good job.But you have to disable the windows firewall. If you are interested you can visit Avira homepage to know more.Regards.Then about another Firewall I just recollected:FortKnox Firewall Personal 2009 | 4.93MBFortKnox Firewall is personal firewall solution that allows you to protect a PC against hacker attacks, trojans, spyware and internet threats. It has built-in Intrusion Prevention System and SPI technologies for extended user protection. It gives user complete overview of all inbound and outbound network communication in an intuitive user interface.Features:* Protects system from inbound in outbound attacks* Traffic and packet logging* Statefull packet inspection* Integrated Intrusion Prevention System* All system connections overview* Advanced rules for experienced users* Image Anti-spoofing technologies* File and printer sharing settings* User-friendly graphics interface* Automatic database updates* Site Control System with ability to block individual web sites* Ad blocking* Referer blocking* ActiveX blocking* Cookies blocking* Simple configuration* Skin support* Language support* Premium technical supportHomepage: http://www.fortknox-firewall.com/Note: I have not used it, but one of my mate is using this & satisfied. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mona7865 Posted September 30, 2009 ID:135878 Share Posted September 30, 2009 Neuro, I'm using Online Armor Premium on a Dell Inspiron and Online Armor free on a HP Mini. My experience with both versions: they are light on resources, they don't conflict with other security programs and they are easy to manage. They also have a very helpful forum.You can find more information (and compare the two versions) here:http://www.tallemu.com/products-online-armor-free.phpHope this has been of help. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
srtools1980y Posted September 30, 2009 ID:135879 Share Posted September 30, 2009 mono7865Thanks for the above info. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strangedays Posted September 30, 2009 ID:135882 Share Posted September 30, 2009 FWIW Comodo has a pretty good firewall for free as well Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoKenny1 Posted September 30, 2009 ID:135965 Share Posted September 30, 2009 FWIW Comodo has a pretty good firewall for free as wellRead about Comodo:http://dottech.org/headline/10032 http://msmvps.com/blogs/hostsnews/archive/...22/1705234.aspxhttp://msmvps.com/blogs/hostsnews/archive/...05.aspx#1699791 Online Armor is good and so is Outpost Firewall: http://free.agnitum.com Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairie dog Posted September 30, 2009 ID:135980 Share Posted September 30, 2009 I use Online Armor Premium as well . Very happy with it If you don't want to pay, the free version is great as well Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strangedays Posted September 30, 2009 ID:136035 Share Posted September 30, 2009 Read about Comodo:http://dottech.org/headline/10032 http://msmvps.com/blogs/hostsnews/archive/...22/1705234.aspxhttp://msmvps.com/blogs/hostsnews/archive/...05.aspx#1699791 Online Armor is good and so is Outpost Firewall: http://free.agnitum.comThanks for that YoKenny1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
exile360 Posted October 1, 2009 ID:136207 Share Posted October 1, 2009 Firewalls are a great layer of protection but my biggest issue with most of them these days is that they're a bit too complex and too powerful. They've basically become like HIPS software, notifying you of every dll that gets loaded into a process etc and most unfortunately do not recognize and allow many system components that are part of Windows by default without first requiring user input, meaning a user has to already know every part of Windows that needs to communicat with the network, the connection and the internet. Most don't. I know I don't. I used to use ZoneAlarm and finally got sick of all the pop ups and having to either spend hours researching whether to allow or block something or having to take a guess and hope for the best. I much prefer a powerful AV that will just say "hey, this isn't part of Windows and it's acting like a trojan, you want me to take it out ?". Behavioral analysis is better in my opinion, and leaves far less room for user error, which I've often seen with these firewalls where a user accidentally disabled their own connection or blocked a harmless, and sometimes necessary, part of Windows itself or some other benign program that the user installed. The one I use is simple, but certainly won't pass most of those internet leaktests and all that. It's not that advanced, but being behind a hardware firewall helps as well, such as a router. Many modems have a firewall built into them as well.Sorry for the long rant, it just seems that unless the user really knows how to use a piece of security software, it does them no good. I'm not saying that these firewalls are bad, quite the contrary, they are extremely powerful and can really help to stop malware and hackers, I just don't think that most of them are quite user friendly enough for the average user. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
noknojon Posted October 1, 2009 ID:136216 Share Posted October 1, 2009 Must agree with above -I removed KIS due in part to similar reasons - It was not my A/V when some items were installed , so it would not recognise them as 'normal' -Once you set a system you are then 'done' (unless you make a major change) - I found it was better to leave the set A/V and keep the 3 malware scanners as 'options' - To use only on call and also use in rotation /MBAM - SAS - Spybot - Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
exile360 Posted October 1, 2009 ID:136224 Share Posted October 1, 2009 Yes, that's the primary reason I use KAV and not KIS. KIS does have an "auto" type or "learning" mode which is much easier to deal with, but after my experiences with ZA I didn't want to bother with anything even remotely complex any more. The AV is sufficient for me, although some more detailed users do want that sort of protection, and as I said, as long as they know what they're doing and have the patience, there's certainly nothing wrong with it . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
noknojon Posted October 1, 2009 ID:136265 Share Posted October 1, 2009 @ Exile360Thanks for that quick explaination between the two - I clicked on your KAV and realised that I selected the first option for a trial - Maybe if I went for KAV not KIS it would have been a happier experience -Oh well back to my previous settings for now - Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
exile360 Posted October 1, 2009 ID:136266 Share Posted October 1, 2009 Yeah, KAV isn't intrusive at all and very simple to deal with. It does have a lot of settings, but once you get it set up the way you like you seldom have to mess with it and can just set it and forget it . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
yardbird Posted October 1, 2009 ID:136269 Share Posted October 1, 2009 Who recalls the Tiny Firewall http://download.cnet.com/Tiny-Personal-Fir...4-10266527.html Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mona7865 Posted October 1, 2009 ID:136376 Share Posted October 1, 2009 Exile, did you give OA a go yet?I do understand your point of view, and sometimes (but luckily not that often) when OA pops up with something, I'll always search for more information before allowing, trusting or blocking. When I enquired about online banking at my local bank some time ago, I was told I would have to prove my PC was sufficiently protected (required were: a two way firewall, AV and antispyware) before I got permission. That's why I love "banking mode" of OA Premium and, so far, I haven't encountered any problems with it.Reason for edit: typing error (again). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted October 1, 2009 ID:136395 Share Posted October 1, 2009 Firewalls are a great layer of protection but my biggest issue with most of them these days is that they're a bit too complex and too powerful. They've basically become like HIPS software, notifying you of every dll that gets loaded into a process etc and most unfortunately do not recognize and allow many system components that are part of Windows by default without first requiring user input, meaning a user has to already know every part of Windows that needs to communicat with the network, the connection and the internet. Most don't. I know I don't. I used to use ZoneAlarm and finally got sick of all the pop ups and having to either spend hours researching whether to allow or block something or having to take a guess and hope for the best. I much prefer a powerful AV that will just say "hey, this isn't part of Windows and it's acting like a trojan, you want me to take it out ?". Behavioral analysis is better in my opinion, and leaves far less room for user error, which I've often seen with these firewalls where a user accidentally disabled their own connection or blocked a harmless, and sometimes necessary, part of Windows itself or some other benign program that the user installed. The one I use is simple, but certainly won't pass most of those internet leaktests and all that. It's not that advanced, but being behind a hardware firewall helps as well, such as a router. Many modems have a firewall built into them as well.Sorry for the long rant, it just seems that unless the user really knows how to use a piece of security software, it does them no good. I'm not saying that these firewalls are bad, quite the contrary, they are extremely powerful and can really help to stop malware and hackers, I just don't think that most of them are quite user friendly enough for the average user.I so agree with you, Exile. All I want is a FIREWALL. I want something that is going to monitor traffic in and out of my computer, not let me know that my neighbor Joyce up the road is cooking roast beef and do I want to allow the aroma into my yard, yes or no...As far as what the running processes on my computer are doing that have nothing to do with internet activity--I have real time antivirus and antimalware monitoring, I don't need a "firewall" to that as well. I think the current crop of offerings in the way of third party firewalls are hugely, ridiculously complicated for the average user, who could so easily click on the wrong thing and leave themselves worse off than they would have been if they had just stuck with the (supposedly) inadequate Windows firewall to begin with. As in maybe a wide open system or an unstable, crashing, blue-screening system. Or both.I have a home network behind a router, and that network consists of an ethernet connected desktop and a wirelessly connected laptop. I've spent months trying to decide on a third party firewall for the laptop so that we can take it traveling, where it will be out from behind the protection of a router. It has been a frustrating experience, to say the least, as I have done a great deal of reading about various firewalls and most of them are quite user unfriendly. I'm gun-shy of Zonealarm because recent versions of it have been quite problematic for people. I had one unsatisfactory experience with Webroot on the desktop, where it threw up a "Perfnet" error in Event Viewer on every reboot, appeared to have difficulty finding an internet connection (message that one of those 169. IP's had been assigned with each startup), and it seemed to prevent MWB IP protection from starting up. I've decided the desktop is always going to be behind a router anyway and I keep a close eye on it malware-wise, so I'm leaving the Windows firewall on that. With the laptop, I recently tried Outpost free and uninstalled that after discovering a relatively minor bug. I had a less than happy experience with PCTools Firewall Plus on the laptop, and I uninstalled that after a few days. So it's back to Windows, and wondering whether or not I should give Outpost another try. Basically, I just want a firewall that's a little more robust when the laptop is not behind the router, but allows the home network to run here at home behind the router. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
calintexas Posted October 2, 2009 ID:136654 Share Posted October 2, 2009 For those that aren't familiar with them: Steve Gibson has two excellent free tools for testing the effectiveness of firewalls ShieldsUp! - If you are behind a router with a hardware firewall all ShieldsUp will test is the router's firewall. You want to also run it when you connect while traveling.LeakTestSteve also has a really nice password generator: https://www.grc.com/passwords.htm Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
exile360 Posted October 2, 2009 ID:136666 Share Posted October 2, 2009 I use Vista Firewall Control by Sphinx Software (now known as Windows 7 Firewall Control, but it works with both ). It uses the much enhanced built in Windows Firewall contained in Vista and 7 and enables the outbound protection capability while also prompting you when a program requests access and lets you decide to allow or block it. It's simple and it works very well and uses minimal resources since it's just a gui and a service that connect to the built in Windows Firewall API's . The Plus (paid) version that I use has more features, such as different zones for various programs that the user can select to determin the level of access a program has (generally the best option for each program will be detected and Vista Firewall Control will make its recommendation on it as well as whether to allow or deny it).By the way, the Windows Firewall should pass ShieldsUp! (at least it did last time I checked when I wasn't behind a hardware firewall) and Vista Firewall Control does indeed pass the LeakTest . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoKenny1 Posted October 2, 2009 ID:136685 Share Posted October 2, 2009 Who recalls the Tiny Firewall http://download.cnet.com/Tiny-Personal-Fir...4-10266527.htmlI remember Kerio 2.1.5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
yardbird Posted October 2, 2009 ID:136688 Share Posted October 2, 2009 I remember Kerio 2.1.5omg! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ioni Posted October 3, 2009 ID:137131 Share Posted October 3, 2009 Window Firewall is good enough for me............. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hello2007 Posted October 4, 2009 ID:137665 Share Posted October 4, 2009 pc tools firewall Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
exile360 Posted October 4, 2009 ID:137667 Share Posted October 4, 2009 I've heard others recommend PC Tools as well but have never tried it myself. I'm content with what I have for now, but for XP it's most likely a good option based on what others have said . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hello2007 Posted October 4, 2009 ID:137669 Share Posted October 4, 2009 ashampoo firewall isn't bad either but it doesnt support vista yet Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoKenny1 Posted October 4, 2009 ID:137728 Share Posted October 4, 2009 pc tools firewallInteresting news:Symantec to Acquire PC Toolshttp://www.symantec.com/about/news/release...rid=20080818_02 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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