Freeware Firewall
Discussion
For those wishing to protect their PC's with a local Firewall this maybe useful.
http://download.com.com/3000-2092-6313778.html?tag=lst-0-1
or for those with less net experience try, also freeware:
www.zonealarm.com/
Worried about spyware, try this:
www.lsfileserv.com/aaw.html
http://download.com.com/3000-2092-6313778.html?tag=lst-0-1
or for those with less net experience try, also freeware:
www.zonealarm.com/
Worried about spyware, try this:
www.lsfileserv.com/aaw.html
In the virtual world, a firewall is a piece of software or a network component to protect machines and networks from scroats on the internet.
In the corporate sense, you stick a firewall between the corporate network and the internet. In the home user sense, you stick a bit of software on your PC to stop attacks coming up your phone/ADSL/ISDN/cable line.
Personal firewalls (on home machines) also have the handy side effect of blocking spyware: software that purports to do something useful for you, but that has a nasty habit of "phoning home" to its maker whenever you are connected to the internet.
The information that spyware sends home varies... it could just be usage stats for the software itself, or files from your hard disc, your web browsing history, and so on.
In the corporate sense, you stick a firewall between the corporate network and the internet. In the home user sense, you stick a bit of software on your PC to stop attacks coming up your phone/ADSL/ISDN/cable line.
Personal firewalls (on home machines) also have the handy side effect of blocking spyware: software that purports to do something useful for you, but that has a nasty habit of "phoning home" to its maker whenever you are connected to the internet.
The information that spyware sends home varies... it could just be usage stats for the software itself, or files from your hard disc, your web browsing history, and so on.
I agree. Zone Alarm is an excellent piece of freeware and I'd recommend it to anyone using their home PC for browsing. It's amazing what gets blocked and it has already thwarted two attempts to ping and hack my personal machine. Like most security systems it is "intruder resistant" rather than "intruder proof" but it should see off all but the very determined unwelcome guest.
I highly recommend Tiny Personal Firewall on
www.tinysoftware.com/home/tiny?pg=tpf_summary&la=EN&va=aa
This one also allows you to change access to individual programs (which I like a LOT). ie it allows games software full access through that exe but none through any other program. So whilst playing UR tournament online my firewall is still active and I can access any IP through that program.
LOL I've just realised that the original link is for this program
>> Edited by smeagol on Monday 6th May 21:15
www.tinysoftware.com/home/tiny?pg=tpf_summary&la=EN&va=aa
This one also allows you to change access to individual programs (which I like a LOT). ie it allows games software full access through that exe but none through any other program. So whilst playing UR tournament online my firewall is still active and I can access any IP through that program.
LOL I've just realised that the original link is for this program
>> Edited by smeagol on Monday 6th May 21:15
I experienced this one very efficient and easy to adjust:
www.suse.de/en/products/suse_linux/i386/packages_professional/SuSEfirewall2.html
www.suse.de/en/products/suse_linux/i386/packages_professional/SuSEfirewall2.html
PetrolTed, the help file is a bit of a read but it is simple to use. You simply set it to notify you at the start. Use the programs you want to connect outside and create a rule. Then you can happily turn notification off and it will bounce any "other request". Setting a new program you turn on notification and the program notifies you and again generate the rule. Dead easy.
I've not used zonealarm so cannot comment. I wasn't trying to put it down at all, in fact I've heard tha it is also excellent. When I first looked at firewalls I believe the Tiny one was the only one that allowed you to have different rules for different programs eg set Media player to receive but not send. The others I looked into allowed you to set permissions on IP addresses only. Which is a problem with dynamic IPs on broadband, as the user you allow to communicate could change without you knowing.
As I say I don't know/never used Zonealarm so cannot comment on it. One comment though is that if you are using broadband definately get a firewall. I was surprised how often I was "contacted". Very good for peace of mind.
I've not used zonealarm so cannot comment. I wasn't trying to put it down at all, in fact I've heard tha it is also excellent. When I first looked at firewalls I believe the Tiny one was the only one that allowed you to have different rules for different programs eg set Media player to receive but not send. The others I looked into allowed you to set permissions on IP addresses only. Which is a problem with dynamic IPs on broadband, as the user you allow to communicate could change without you knowing.
As I say I don't know/never used Zonealarm so cannot comment on it. One comment though is that if you are using broadband definately get a firewall. I was surprised how often I was "contacted". Very good for peace of mind.
This is what I get:
Don't ask me what all that means, but it sounds good
.
quote:
Attempting connection to your computer. . .
Shields UP! is now attempting to contact the Hidden Internet Server within your PC. It is likely that no one has told you that your own personal computer may now be functioning as an Internet Server with neither your knowledge nor your permission. And that it may be serving up all or many of your personal files for reading, writing, modification and even deletion by anyone, anywhere, on the Internet!
Your Internet port 139 does not appear to exist!
One or more ports on this system are operating in FULL STEALTH MODE! Standard Internet behavior requires port connection attempts to be answered with a success or refusal response. Therefore, only an attempt to connect to a nonexistent computer results in no response of either kind. But YOUR computer has DELIBERATELY CHOSEN NOT TO RESPOND (that's very cool!) which represents advanced computer and port stealthing capabilities. A machine configured in this fashion is well hardened to Internet NetBIOS attack and intrusion.
Unable to connect with NetBIOS to your computer.
All attempts to get any information from your computer have FAILED. (This is very uncommon for a Windows networking-based PC.) Relative to vulnerabilities from Windows networking, this computer appears to be VERY SECURE since it is NOT exposing ANY of its internal NetBIOS networking protocol over the Internet.
Don't ask me what all that means, but it sounds good
.Beware... www.grc.com is run by a bit of a crackpot - ShieldsUP does a basic job of checking for some of the more obvious security issues you may have, but, bluntly, Steve Gibson has *no* standing within the internet security community, being all mouth and no trousers.
He made the mistake of setting himself up as an expert in many security matters and has been roundly debunked by many people who really are experts. If you stick your head up above the parapet, expect to get shot at.
Techie aside, for those that are, er, techies: he predicted the downfall of the Internet, via DDOS attacks, with the release of Windows XP because it delivered the ability to spoof packets (i.e. raw IP sockets, IIRC) to home users, whose PCs would obviously instantly fall victim to DDOS zombie code.
Has it all fallen over yet? No? Didn't think so either.
He made the mistake of setting himself up as an expert in many security matters and has been roundly debunked by many people who really are experts. If you stick your head up above the parapet, expect to get shot at.
Techie aside, for those that are, er, techies: he predicted the downfall of the Internet, via DDOS attacks, with the release of Windows XP because it delivered the ability to spoof packets (i.e. raw IP sockets, IIRC) to home users, whose PCs would obviously instantly fall victim to DDOS zombie code.
Has it all fallen over yet? No? Didn't think so either.
Marshy.. I typed up practically the identical post to yours then decided that this was not the place for muck-raking and repeating things I'd read on the Register 
.... nevermind 
Gibson is errm... a bit eccentric.. and he's a scaremongerer for the purposes of whipping up demand for his products.. all IMO of course.
.... nevermind Gibson is errm... a bit eccentric.. and he's a scaremongerer for the purposes of whipping up demand for his products.. all IMO of course.
FYI I mentioned AudioGalaxy.com recently - it's basically the new napster. Well, their client software is spyware - the satellite software which allows you to do peer to peer transfers etc.
When it's not being used, it's posting stuff back to GATOR.COM using something called "TRICKLER". It transmits encoded data so I'm not sure what it is sending, but anything at all is objectionable and I've shut it down on my firewall...
I'd never have known if I wasn't running a packet sniffer to try and figure out what it needed to work properly with my firewall. Not impressed
Neither is Mrs Carzee who was looking forward to downloading tunes all day..
For more info, goto www.deja.com and search on GATOR TRICKLE AUDIOGALAXY
>> Edited by CarZee on Tuesday 7th May 14:07
When it's not being used, it's posting stuff back to GATOR.COM using something called "TRICKLER". It transmits encoded data so I'm not sure what it is sending, but anything at all is objectionable and I've shut it down on my firewall...
I'd never have known if I wasn't running a packet sniffer to try and figure out what it needed to work properly with my firewall. Not impressed
Neither is Mrs Carzee who was looking forward to downloading tunes all day..
For more info, goto www.deja.com and search on GATOR TRICKLE AUDIOGALAXY
>> Edited by CarZee on Tuesday 7th May 14:07
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