OT: Software Firewalls

Hi,
I'm after a software firewall for an XP machine, preferably for free. I've
used Zone Alarm before, but I was hoping someone could recommend a program
which uses less resources...
Thanks!

 

less resources ?? i use z/a too but i wouldnt say that 4,396k and the
occasional 5-15% cpu cpu is a lot

 

Don't know about resource usage, but Kerio Personal Firewall seems to do a
good job.

 

I'm after a software firewall for an XP machine, preferably for free.
I've

Then use the built in one that XP offers. It might not offer bells and
whistles, and only stop traffic coming in, but with an AV application it is
a good combination.
A little while off but when SP2 is released for XP it will be much more
configurable.

--
Regards

Morgan

Hard drive repairs...

www.flyinglizard.freeserve.co.uk

 

in the past i used to reccomend the use of xp's own firewall. then i
installed z/a and left xp's f/w running. within a week z/a had stopped
several hundreds of intrusions of which 60 something was said to be
high-rated. goes to show that xp's firewall doesnt work too well doesnt it
:-(

 

The freeware version of Outpost Firewall, (www.agnitum.com) is, IMHO,
the best freeware firewall around. I know I'm going to get flamed for
saying this but XP's inbuilt firewall is pretty good for what it is!

Anton

 

in the past i used to reccomend the use of xp's own firewall. then i

Maybe I'm not understanding your post but if you have both ZA and XP's
firewall on the same machine at the same time how do you know for sure that
XP's own firewall wouldn't have stopped them, these intrusions..?
There is an article in last months (Feb. page 204) PC Pro by Jon Honeyball
which refers to software firewalls and their 'over zealousness' in
reporting, actually using Zone Alarm as the example. Without reducing or
turning off ZA's reporting it can become very tiresome.
Also it refers to the combination of XP's own firewall and a AV running in
the background which provides good protection - without the reporting.
I am not suggesting that a software firewall doesn't have a place but the OP
asked for one which used less resources and preferably free - well XP's own
fits that description.

Don't you think that ZA is getting very bloated at what it does, originally
'only' being a firewall..?

--
Regards

Morgan

Hard drive repairs...

www.flyinglizard.freeserve.co.uk

 

Software firewall - but running on a old/low-spec/fished-out-of-skip
machine - Smoothwall or IPCop ..... both freely downloadable and very
efficent/secure.

 

I used to use Tiny firewall......I seem to remember it was either freeware
or shareware.

 

Seconded

 

Any reason not to use the one that's built in to XP?

 

Trevor Best wrote:
[snip]

My understanding is that while the one in XP might stop stuff coming in,
it doesn't flag potentially dangerous stuff going out from spyware or
worse on your HD, though I could be wrong.



Fish

 

ROFLMAO! Good one!

 

I used to use Kerio Personal Firewall 2.1.* which was pretty good - the
updated version 4.* is a lot more resource hungry, and a pain to use.
McAfee Firewall 4 has been given away on magazines recently but it
stopped my machines shutting down, so I've gone back to Zone Alarm in
the meantime.

 

It's not too hard to work out why they do this .

 

It's not too hard to work out why they do this .

Well after SP2 and the changes that are being implemented to XP's own
Firewall it will be interesting for those people that install the SP would
they then still consider the need to buy a separate software one...?

IIRC didn't Microsoft buy out a company which specialised in writing
anti-virus software..? Suggesting that it too would be soon venturing into
that market. Whether it would offer that type of protection by default into
its OS's I don't know but it would have implications for those 3rd party
vendors.

.........Ah here it is....

http://www.enterpriseitplanet.com/security/news/article.php/2219911

--
Regards

Morgan

Hard drive repairs...

www.flyinglizard.freeserve.co.uk

 

No firewall will prevent outbound traffic on a hacked machine.
Once you're hacked the hacker/trojan/whatever can turn off the firewall.

 

As someone else suggested, get hold of an old 486 that someone's dumped
in a skip and install either IP Cop or Smoothwall (my preference is IP
Cop). Once set up it needs no keyboard, mouse or screen and it just
works.

 

Worth spending the £23 for the Norton Package in my experience.
You get Norton Antivirus, Firewall, etc

 

You can set up filters in IPSec and block all inbound/outbound traffic
and work back from there - enabling mirrored port 80/25/100 outbound
etc.

Gareth