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| Jamie Gorelick The Gorelick Wall |
Posted on 08/26/2007 12:02:02 AM PDT by This Just In
Simple question. I am looking for any recommendations on firewalls(free download).
Thank you, TJI
iptables
Is it Windows compatible?
TJI
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| Jamie Gorelick The Gorelick Wall |
Simply the best!
Just don't log in.
From TJI's replies, I see he is running Windows.
Sygate has been nothing but great for me over the years, and doesn't interfere with use of the computer. I believe the firewall was bought out by Semantec and new versions of the firewall are no longer available for free, so get it while yo can.
Unfortunately, I don’t always have that option.
(((salute)))
To you, KoRn
Korn is right, if you have to have a firewall Sygate will do you well. I just worry that with no updates it won’t be able to stop newer security holes and the such.
Kerio is also a good one that I highly recommended.
Sygate is probably the best bet on the software side, but you should really plunk down a few bucks and get a hardware firewall... or convert an old computer into a router.
The firewalls you can download (e.g. ZoneAlarm - see below) do a half way decent job of keeping malware that is already on your PC from "phoning home" (with your bank account information and freerepublic password, for example.)
It would be like someone living in the inner city ghetto setting bear traps in their living room, so that they can catch any druggies who have broken in looking for something they can pawn for drugs.
You need more than that; indeed, that's not the most important thing you need.
Are you on a modem dial-up, cable broadband or DSL line? I'll guess cable broadband for now, since that's both the most difficult and most common case.
Your biggest concern is to keep the bad guys from getting in. Linux can do that using iptables. Windows can't do that, using anything I know of. Cable modem lines are like the old fashioned telephone party lines; you share them with all your neighbors. You need a lock on your web door. This has to be done with a separate box, between your cable modem and your PC, called a router or firewall. You can get them for as little as $30 or so. If you are curious, I can spend a few minutes concocting a list of firewall/routers I'd recommend.
Your second biggest concern is to catch bad guys that got in anyway. This means software to repeatedly scan your PC and watch what all your other apps do, looking for signs of malware (bad software). Computers leak like sieves. A router can keep out some forms of attack, but by no means all. Currently the bad guys are making more money being bad than the good guys are making protecting us. That means the bad guys are winning. That in turn means that no single malware scanner can detect all forms of malware. If you make any online purchases or have any financial or other useful information or even just leave your PC on for many hours each week, then you should have multiple malware scanning software products installed. If you like, I can reply with a list of what I'd currently recommend. On my Windows box that I use for money stuff (Quicken, Taxcut, ...) I usually run two or three malware scanning packages, in parallel. If your PC only has 512 MBytes of memory (RAM) or less, then this won't work so well. Running too much software in too little memory makes your PC run painfully slow.
All that said, Windows has a built in firewall. I have little respect for it. And there are products like ZoneAlarm, which likely someone above has already recommended while I compose this overly long reply. I consider ZoneAlarm better at scaring you into buying ZoneAlarm Pro than in keeping your PC secure. But that might just be me being skeptical.
The other problem with firewalls such as ZoneAlarm that keep malware on your PC from phoning home is that they are a pain to administer. You have to tell it all the "good programs" on your PC, one way or another, so they know which programs to allow to make outbound web requests. This is a bothersome and error prone and never ending task, as programs are added or updated.
Just downloaded Sygate. Will download the Spy ware as well, although I will keep in mind jaredt112’s comments regarding Sygate updates.
I will continue to review all suggestions.
Thank you, FReepers.
TJI
Serious effort indeed, and very helpful.
I’m on dial up at the moment. Family lives in remote area. Services limited.
Run Spybot and AdAware regularly including updates, although I will download Sygates Spy program. Hope this will not affect the other two. Incidentally, I will purchase a router.
As I have mentioned in my previous reply; I will continue to seriously consider all suggestions.
Deeply appreciate your advice.
TJI
The bad guys are much more interested in stealing Ferraris and Corvettes than they are in stealing bicycles.
How powerful is your PC - processor speed and memory size?
I setup my relatives systems, and for those who have cheap old PC's, I run them with very little protection. Windows is simply too damn slow and unstable when overloaded with a full raft of anti-malware programs on an old small PC.
The smallest Windows PC I have or maintain that has a full boat of protection has a 1.3 GHz CPU and 768 MBytes of RAM. I run several anti-malware packages, and a single useful app, Quicken, on that PC. When I boot that system, I ignore it for the first 10 minutes, until the anti-malware programs get past their startup, by which time that PC is able, slowly, to run my one app, Quicken.
Good luck with it.
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