What Firewall program do you use?

[m3trj]

Maybe I'm against the grain in this one, but I don't see a lot of point in software firewalls for computers connected behind NAT'ing routers, since NAT destroys the end-to-end connectivity in the first place. So long as you aren't set up as the DMZ host, you are protected from almost everything anyway, just because of the way the routing works out.

*shrug*

For most people you're right, but what if you get a worm within your network somehow? Software firewalls will stop anything bad happening.

 

[jaross]

sygate parsonal firewall and a hard linksys firewall

 

[office politics]

Software firewalls will stop anything bad happening.

HA, it'll stop legit traffic as well without proper config. I don't use firewalls as i can't stand to configure them.

I was using Sybase for a while but then it started causing random IRQL_Not_Equal_or_Less stop errors on boot.

 

[m3trj]

HA, it'll stop legit traffic as well without proper config. I don't use firewalls as i can't stand to configure them.

I was using Sybase for a while but then it started causing random IRQL_Not_Equal_or_Less stop errors on boot.

I have never had to configure mine, and I have never had any problems with it stopping legitimate traffic. I've also never been hacked or anything.

 

[TheHeadFL]

I've only ever been hacked once, when I was running FreeBSD back in like 1998. Good old WU_FTPD bug.

Never been hacked on a Windows OS.

Currently the only computers sitting inside my network belong to me, so I just don't run any software firewall at all. I don't even run a Virus Scan program because of how it gets in the way of the programming work I do frequently. I think Virus Scan programs have become kind of a joke anyway, being that 90% of the exploits lately have been based around buffer overflows which Virus Scanners generally can't do squat for.

Besides, I run a 64 bit OS that practically nothing runs on with any kind of privelege level that would allow something to insert itself into windows. I have a hard enough time installing legitimate software sometimes, lol.

 

[tribalsun]

Well I just updated my ZA Pro and found that it has become another POS bloat-ware. That's gone and I'm just gonna stick with XP SP2's firewall. I've ran that thing through every conceivable firewall test and it passes with flying colors everytime. Small, unobtrusive and it just plain works without all the bloat.

 

[EricB]

I use my software firewall (zone alarm pro) main for the in house spying. like everytime windows tries to send something back to MS or yahoo just outright recording your activities or musicmatch update insisting on me trying MM 9 basic, when I happy with my 8.2 plus (I don't want to pay another 20.00 for a plus program when I have a plus program).

that said. if you already have a trojan, it can make outbound communications. windows firewall or your hardware firewall can't do anything about that

 

[Trotter]

I am using Computer Associates ezArmor suite. The firewall is a version of ZoneAlarm Pro.

 

[EricB]

http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,119996,00.asp