Firewall settings?

slycrane94 said:Look, an application firewall and hardware isn't even playing the same game... they don't protect you the same way at all. Anyone out there claiming hardware is the ultimate solution clearly hasn't got a clue what they're talking about.

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Amen to that.
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slycrane94 said:A hardware firewall and an application firewall aren't the same thing, and they certainly don't protect you in the same way. Anyone claiming hardware is the ultimate solution clearly hasn't a clue what they're talking about.

slycrane94, you haven't got a clue. That’s not how the pros talk—just take a page out of mark45's book. You've got a long way to go before you catch up. Realistically? You're miles off. 😬

By the way, there is absolutely no way in hell I'd recommend ZA, unless someone actually performed a lobotomy on me. Sygate is my pick, though I'm hardly an expert here. In fact, I'm not even a real man. 🤣

I don't know about you people, but I'm firmly on Team Pro. 😁

I mean, a dedicated firewall is basically the first real step in actually protecting your rig.... kind of like having that built-in firewall on a motherboard LAN port (if you’re even using one) ... and that’s just the starting line... if you've got a decent modem or router that actually does its job by keeping things split up for $0.33 (not that I'm trying to worship at the altar of some overpriced junk...... or those bottom-tier ISPs who suck at everything.... ), let's just say the security level for someone with a properly configured modem/router (aka a hardware firewall) is, in a word, wayyyyy better than any software firewall could ever hope to be. But since everyone's kind of drifting away from your main point, what's definitely true is that you really can't go wrong with your choice. For... solid... SegatePF... solid...
It’s all about the nuances .............

Karen Brooks, ZA is actually a solid choice for beginners. It comes with all the essential configurations right out of the box, installation is a breeze, and you’re basically good to go. Not everyone relies on dedicated hardware firewalls or setups like iptables anyway.

swiftscout8, I don't think you quite grasped the core point of what I was getting at. 😉

As for Zscaler, look—I’ve spent enough time in the trenches with them to know what I'm talking about. That's exactly why I said the only way I'd ever touch them again is if someone performed a lobotomy on me first.

It’s my turn to jump in and agree with Karen Brooks—Sygate is definitely the way to go...

swiftscout8 said:Zyxel is actually a solid choice if you're just starting out.

lol
By default, half the features won't even be active,
and he’ll have no clue why things aren't working the way they should.

Joe@ said:yeah
certain things just won't work by default
and he's not going to realize why they aren't working

And what's that? eMule? Honestly, it's better if it doesn't work. All you're going to pick up with that stuff is a virus... 😬

Karen Brooks said:slycrane94, you have no clue. That’s not how real guys talk—take a page out of mark45's book if you want to get anywhere. You've got a long way to go. 😬

Honestly, there's zero chance for ZA, unless someone performs a lobotomy on me first. I'd recommend Sygate, though I'm hardly one of those "real guys." In fact, I'm not even a guy at all. 🤣

There’s just some nonsense happening here. I see people acting like experts on specific terms when they’ve clearly never even seen them, let alone actually implemented them. 😁

Joe@ said:yeah
some things just won't work by default
and he isn't going to figure out why they aren't working

Having everything wide open isn't exactly ideal. It's nothing more than a false sense of security.

The standard approach should always be to block everything first, then only open what's absolutely necessary. If you're just leaving everything open anyway, why bother with the illusion of security at all?

slycrane94 said:Having everything wide open isn't exactly ideal—it just creates this illusion of security.

The standard protocol should always be to block everything by default, then selectively open only what's absolutely necessary. If you're just leaving the gates wide open, you might as well not have any security at all.

It’s basically like using a condom with a hole in it. 🤣

So, I’m running on a DSL connection right now and I just enabled the built-in firewall on the router. Do you think that's enough to keep things safe, or should I go out and grab some dedicated security software?

Honestly, I don't think any actual pro hacker is even gonna bother with my rig—there’s nothing juicy on here anyway. For keeping those wannabe script kiddies at bay, I feel like ZoneAlarm does the job just fine.

If I actually had some life-changing data sitting on my drive, I'd probably hunt down something a bit beefier for protection, but for now...

I'm running Kerio on my setup, and honestly, I haven't run into a single issue!

Raymond Palmer8 said:Since I figure no actual hacker is going to waste their time on my machine—there’s nothing interesting there anyway—I see the firewall's only job as keeping the wannabes at bay. In that regard, ZoneAlarm seems fine.

If I actually had data on there worth a damn, I'd probably look into something more heavy-duty, but for now...

It's exactly the script kiddies you have to worry about; they love targeting junk hardware. DDoS attacks are still huge, not to mention being used as spam relay servers and the like.

Nobody cares about your files; they just want your bandwidth.

Quote : Thermaltake868 ® said:Can anyone recommend a solid, high-quality firewall? I need something that won't make my PC crawl during startup or deal with those annoying little glitches. The one built into Windows XP SP2 isn't actually blocking anything. THANKS

If you're running on a DSL connection, I’d highly suggest checking out Lavasoft Personal firewall 1.0.

It’s made by the same folks behind Ad-Aware, and honestly, it's fantastic. I've cycled through just about everything—ZoneAlarm, Outpost, you name it—but this one just plays nice with my DSL setup without causing any headaches or slowdowns. Plus, the protection is top-notch. It's a lightweight program, too. It comes as a trial, but even after the trial period ends, you can still keep using it... and hey, I finally managed to track down a serial 😎

Best, 👍

It doesn't work, yet it blocks everything perfectly? Why does that sound so fundamentally incompatible to me?

It blocks incoming attack attempts on my computer and handles port scanning without breaking a sweat; it doesn't cause those annoying connection issues with my DSL like ZoneAlarm used to do back when I was running Windows XP with SP2.

Another supposedly "secure" firewall. I guess it beats having nothing at all.