Printable View
Recently I got ADSL and I think I've become the target of hundreds of "hackers" daily!
The first word I heard was[gloworange]use firewall[/gloworange]
I used BlackIce in the past but I don't think that it will be enough for know!
Can you suggest a good firewall for personal use at home?
I would like also to know the advantages and the disadvantages of each firewall:bigsmile:
Istar: take a look at the "Similar Threads" at the end of this page or search the forum and Im sure you will get a lots of answers.
Everyone has their own favorite and Im sorry to tell that's up to you to find your own favorite.
~micael
If you think you are being attacked hundreds of times daily, you have a lot to learn... I have had my Win2K Pro server running for over a year serving a cable connection which I have had for 5 years and can only remember two incidents where I even remotely -suspected- an attack due to an overly slow connection. I have no firewall.
If are unaware of the pros and cons of individual firewall software, you need to learn a lot about firewalls. First off, they are utterly useless to prevent a remotely skilled attack if you don't know how to properly configure them. I would suggest buying or borrowing some good books on the subject rather than hoping for quick fixes here.
Network security is not as simple as installing the right programs. They help, but they will also provide you with a false sense of security if you don't know what you are doing. And trust me, you are not the "target of hundereds of 'hackers' daily". You are being paranoid. Take your time and learn how to secure yourself rather than blindly trusting someone else's program.
Well there a lot of firewall in the net some of good firewall are for trials only im using the Agnitium Personal Firewall
and ZA
I foung Agnitium much better
I had Agnitum's Outpost and loved it. Unfortunately, the current version doesn't support Windoze ICS. When we networked the computers in our home, I had to switch. We have Sygate now and it's very good. Still miss Outpost, though, and if their version 2 ever comes out, with ICS support, I'm going back.
I use Norton Internet Security, its quite good if you ask me, but i think its very expensive if you plan on buying it so its not that good if you want to save money, but it works, i havent had a braketrough in my system since..
Hmm the best firewall.. An openbsd 3.1 box stripped to hell running only packet filtering... :D
Hmm.. well thats what I'm in the middle, or beginning of configuring. As for starters, I would reccomend you get Agnitum's Outpost. Its a very good firewall, has lots of options, and even includes an ad killer.
Although you should probably read up on firewalls and general attacks. Half the time those pings you see on your firewall are just normal internet activity. If you see an ip scan a range of ports from say 1 to 1600, then you can worry a little bit. A firewall is only as good as its configuration. If you allow every single program access to the internet, well thats not a very secure firewall is it. So only allow programs when needed, and don't leave those internet programs connected 24/7, unless of course your configured properly. Well, hope that helps clear up a bit. If you have any other questions, just ask, thats why this board is here.
I am running Zone Alarm Pro ( because I am using ICS ) on a W2K server with 2 NIC cards and NAT for the inside boxes. It has been working very well for about a year so far.
look around at the various viewpoints and then spend your money. You may wish to have the assistance of a friend help you install your choice(s) when you are ready.
Get a Router to block incoming access and a software firewall that blocks outgoing access that also blocks incoming access as well. This is a great way to secure your box. If you are going to get a router, set it up and change the password, usually the default is "admin" , id suggest changing it to at least 20 characters of alphanumerics/symbols.
Hah
Any good Hacker will tell you firewall are useless against any skilled person,but you can use Zone Alarm or a Norton just too see if somebody attacks you!
Those attacks are not really Hackers attack but rather Lamer like Trojan, Dos, and more. Those people don’t know what they are doing,so don’t by afraid!
Firewall can by useful if a person make a scan,looking at vulnerability on the network,your PC will by invisible.
Personally I will recommend Zone Alarm because it’s FREE!!!
Hi there.....
best firewall...no such thing.
First of all...a firewall does not mean that you are safe (if you intend to leave any services running), there is more to security than just a firewall. If its only a personal computer at home, then most of the free downloadable firewalls will do (tiny, za, norton, outpost etc...)
It is also important that you tighten your system configuration, make sure you have no applications running that access the net that you dont need. If its a single station, then its best you block all incomming requests, but always remember that a firewall can be fooled. Try closing as many ports (services) as possible, have an uptodate antivirus running, all the service packs you need, and then put up a firewall. The firewall will only block what you specify...so if the firewall is badly configured (any firewall), then its useless.
Setting up a firewall is something you must take your time with, read the manuals, understand what it is exactly (a packet filter), how it works, what it can do and what not. A firewall is not a way to keep your data safe. Its just a door that can be placed at the entrance of your computer, filtering what goes in and out (only filtering what you have specified).
Maybe Tiny firewall is your best bet for a single home PC, its easy to use and has many nice options (do not attempt to compare it to other firewalls).
If you wanna keep it free, then have a look at www.webattack.com , goto the frewware area, and look for firewalls. Be sure to read all the types that are offered, take your time with this.
Every firewall listed there also has a link to the vendors website, so take your time to goto each site from there and read what the features are for each firewall.
Good luck and happy "hunting"
I installed Smoothwall on a old system with 3 nic´s and its superb... ohh ya.. and freeware..
Very easy to install and configure..
Check www.smoothwall.org
For our personal computers, we use Zone Alarm. It has worked great for us, and is easy to setup. www.zonelabs.com
I think the main benefit to having a software firewall on a home network is the invisibility, or stealth. My firewall has a backtrace feature, so if I'm hit I can backtrace the 'attack.' I think that's a mistake. If the ping is genuine and if you do backtrace, wouldn't you be telling the person who pinged you that, "hey, you found me."
I'm still learning all this stuff and would appreciate any responses. If I'm right, then the new firewall users would be wise NOT to backtrace, especially if they plan to stay online after doing so.