Now that Sygate has been bought by Symantec and Kerio by Sunbelt Software is there a good free firewall product out there? If not I won't mind buying although I don't trust Symantec.

Mike

I use Zone Alarm...

Well Windows has one built-in you can use.

If any of your have an old PC kicking around that you don't use anymore (mine is an original Pentium 100 -- yes that old) take a look at m0n0wall. This firewall/router is absolutely amazing. Runs off of a CD so it is completely portable and has been used in both my home and work for over 2 years now.

http://www.m0n0.ch/wall/

Cheers,

Well I still use Sygate, but I used to use Tiny Personal Firewall. It was pretty good. One that is getting really good reviews for performance is Look 'N' Stop Firewall.

Your ISP may have something to offer, I know Rogers and Cogeco do anyways.

There are lots of good options mentioned. I'll add...if you're on high speed, always connected, a router with a built-in firewall combined with a software firewall like ZoneAlarm should do you good.

My comp eng buddy told me to forget about software firewalls since I have a router. I went to http://www.grc.com/default.htm and checked with "Shield's UP" to confirm his suggestion.

I guess more firewalls are okay, but they do take up your CPU and if it's just redundant, it's not needed.

I think I will go the router route :D and either keep my current version of Sysgate running or move to the XP version.

sleemo, is linksys my best bet?


thanks everyone.

I guess more firewalls are okay, but they do take up your CPU and if it's just redundant, it's not needed.

well one thing a software firewall does is tell you about outbound connection attempts from different programs whereas your router won't be able to alert you.

I use a Linksys router to stop connections from coming in and ZoneAlarm on the PC to stop connections from going out. A couple years ago I got tired of every little app, even program installers, "calling home" and picked up ZoneAlarm and I've been very happy with it ever since.

It's important to properly set up your software firewall and know what can be blocked. If you just accept every outgoing connection, it's useless.

Why not use Kerio? The Sunbelt version has just been rebranded, and there is still the free version if you don't want the web filtering etc. I just did a new PC build and installed the Sunbelt version and all is good.

Simon is right I completely missed the free version of Kerio.

My experience with Symantec's NIS 2005 hasn't been great. Only had it 3 weeks, - came preinstalled w compaq, and 2 days ago it stopped letting Outlook express connect w my rogers acct.

It freezes when I try to manually modify the settings to 'permit all' for OE, and I can't even 'end task'.

Likely going back to ZA or ZA pro.

****
re: ZA Pro.

What are the advantages of a newer version over an older version in terms of real world protection/performance for the home user?

I own a copy/license of ZA Pro (circa 2003), and would likely install that on the new machine instead of buying a new version, or ZA free.

****
In my experience, I believe a router's firewall is only safe from protecting you from the internet. If you are running wireless, you risk the possibility of someone seeing your computer's locally, especially your shared folders.

A software firewall can help you keep local computers out. Maybe there is a setting in the hardware router too, but I'm not sure, and not described to me in layman's terms in the documentation from Dlink.

I live in a neigborhood where 2 outta 3 networks are unprotected. And, no, I didn't look at their files. I saw their folders though.

it was an eye-openner to say the least.

P

The Windows firewall is not very good and causes problems on LANs. Most people do not recommend using it. A software and hardware firewall are recommended. The hardware firewall in most routers is only good at keeping hackers out. It does not stop trojans and worms from taking over your computer and making outside connections, sending spam, sending DOS attacks, etc. A good software firewall can do that. ZoneAlarm is one of the better ones, though new releases often have problems and support sucks. The free version will do the job but the paid version has extra features. Very old versions of firewalls such as ZoneAlarm have holes that can be exploited by worms and viruses. It would be better to run a new free version than an older paid version.

New Windows attack can kill firewall

By Robert McMillan, IDG News Service, 10/30/06

Hackers have published code that could let an attacker disable the Windows Firewall on certain Windows XP machines.

The code, which was posted on the Internet early Sunday morning, could be used to disable the Windows Firewall on a fully patched Windows XP PC that was running Windows' Internet Connection Service (ICS).http://www.networkworld.com/news/2006/103006-new-windows-attack-can-kill.html

Anyone who is serious about security is using a hardware router/firewall. If you are not then chances are your are vulnerably.

Here is a good example of the two ....

A software fire wall will let someone into the foyer of your house and then ask them to leave. If they refuse and can force their way thru, then your whole building can be invaded.

With a hardware firewall in inexpensive routers, there is a fence at the curb. The intruder must ask for permission to open the gate to gain access. This permission is not given lightly.

I have had friends/relatives plagued by pop-ups/viruses/trojan horses. Once I installed a router/firewall and AVG anti-virus, all these problems seem to disappear. I also leave the Windows firewall active.

To me, anyone not using a router/firewall is just plane silly given the cost of these devices.

Once I installed a router/firewall and AVG anti-virus, all these problems seem to disappear

Your friends are fortunate they have a techie they can turn to. By the number of open networks I see popping up, it is obvious people don't understand the risks. By people I mean the average Joe. You and I are protected as are our friends, but a large portion of the people on the 'information superhighway' are driving in dangerous territory.

So to use your analogy this is like leaving your door wide open for snooping. From my understanding it would not take a great effort for someone to watch an open network for banking information to pass by.

That is excellent advice, BHoward, and everyone would do well to look into it asap. Jake is correct too - there are too many people oblivious to the troubles out there.

A bad thing for newbies though is the settings on the router. My linksys wrt54g was plug & play... just conect the wires and good to go... just one little thing the wireless was default on and unencrypted. Imagine how many inexperienced people just plug it in and leave it?