Advice on Firewall for UTV Broadband needed...

Selik

I've just subscribed online to UTVs new €29.99 BB package. I don't think they supply firewall software as part of the deal though and I'm pretty sure I'm gonna need this as I'll be donnected directly to the Internet.

Could any of you guys here recommend some good software that I could either purchase or download for free(preferably the latter!)

I hope I've made the right choice with UTV as I see that IOL are offering Norton 2004 free with their BB offering. Anyway either way it's bye bye "No Limits" in a week or two when I'm hooked up for the first time!

Thanks in advance...

ando

I use 'Tiny Personal Firewall' for each Pc on my Lan. Its really easy to setup. Basically you install, then the firewall does not let anything through untill you specifically tell it that it is ok for certain applications like the Webbrowser. I got attacked by that virus that was going around a few months ago, but the firewall picked up the threat and asked me did i want to let it in.... 'no' I tells it!

Selik

That sounds quite good...

Did you purchase it in a shop or is it availabe to downlad anywhere Ando?

Another thing I was wondering as well, will I be able to keep my email address? It's an old iol one and I use Outlook Express to access my account at home (which is most of the time)

dub45

From postings here it seems that the Norton Security package that IOL are giving out is only a three month trial anyways and there is no problem keeping your current email address -you will just have to change the smtp opton (outgoing mail) to smtp.utvinternet.com but dont change your settings until you are set up with utv!

jank

kerio and zonealarm do good firewalls too just do a search and you should gets loads of stuff on it
i know i did

ando

Originally posted by Giles
That sounds quite good...

Did you purchase it in a shop or is it availabe to downlad anywhere Ando?

Another thing I was wondering as well, will I be able to keep my email address? It's an old iol one and I use Outlook Express to access my account at home (which is most of the time)

You can get the program from here. Its a 30 day trial but

Regarding your email, you can keep it. I have an @iol.ie address for years now and havent payed a penny to IOL since I had NoLimits. All you do is change your outgoing SMTP server to UTV's server or 'mail1.eircom.net'

Mork

I use Norton Personal firewall and I find it rock-solid to be honest, its picked up 3 attempted attacks over 6 months and blocked each and everyone.

-Mork

Xcellor

blah firewalls ;P blah blah blah...

If i was going to use a firewall I wouldn't use a commercial one... the one that IOL gave me. I installed it and every normal task prompted an alert... like PING... and I just got so sick and tired of it I disabled it and promptly deleted it... Sure you can set up rules for every eventuality but it's a hassle!!

Too much paranoia is bad for the health... I keep virus checkers on all comps on my network and adware protection too... No one can access my internal network through the router. To the outside world I am merely one IP...

I know it's not the most secure I could possibly have it but god... i don't have any confidential stuff on my computer...

I've been on the net for the chunk of 7/8 years and never been subject to a virus that has done more than rename a few files.. and stick itself in startup. Ive also never been taken over with any trojans... Maybe this has made me complacent but I just don't see the need for personal computers with non confidential files to be firewalled up to the nth degree...

X

leeroybrown

I don't use Windows online much but I find ZoneAlarm decent.

http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/company/products/znalm/freeDownload.jsp?lid=zadb_zadown

BlaaBoy

i agree Xcellor , theres no need to use a firewall unless u have sensitive or importannt info on your pc . if your like most of us there more hassle than theyr worth.. regarding zone alarm , dont touch it .. it leaves 23 entries in your regedit , can cause alot of problems .. stay away !!

dlofnep

Ignorant little children. Security isn't trivial.

i agree Xcellor , theres no need to use a firewall unless u have sensitive or importannt info on your pc . if your like most of us there more hassle than theyr worth.. regarding zone alarm , dont touch it .. it leaves 23 entries in your regedit , can cause alot of problems .. stay away !!

I do agree that alot of software-based firewalls are over-sensitive in their reporting but if configured correctly, then it should not be a problem.

Regardless of what information is on a system, it should still be always protected. I would not give you a risk management job, kiddo.

And zone alarm does not leave anything in "regedit". Regedit is your registry editor, what you are referring to is the windows registry. And what is your point? ALot of applications require writing to the registry, or are we all still dependant of ini's?

I think the point you were trying to get across was in regards to the Zone Alarm's uninstall procedure and the data that stays behind.

As far as security goes, I'm sure that whatever router UTV supply has a nat firewall included. This can be great for external security but for internal security, you could use any software firewall which usually come with a user friendly program control list.

Alot of software based firewalls perform the same job, it's how they are configured that counts..

http://www.snapfiles.com/freeware/security/fwfirewall.html

Take your pick from their buddy..

Squall

Norton 2004 is the bane of my existence. If your gonna use Norton go with 2003, 2004 just slows things down way too much for my liking as it scans incoming downloads, even files that are being moved to a different location. If its anything big your machine can hang. Very very annoying to say the least.

As far as firewalls go Sygate isnt bad. Its relatively easy to set up and is pretty solid.

As far as security goes, I'm sure that whatever router UTV supply has a nat firewall included. This can be great for external security but for internal security, you could use any software firewall which usually come with a user friendly program control list

Well he may be going the USB modem route which means no router or NAT firewall.

andrew163

UTV supply the zyxel P630-11, which is USB and doesnt have any kind of firewall/NAT built into it.

firewalls...
I use Kerio Personal Firewall, find it great. Free aswell. http://www.kerio.com

ando

Originally posted by Xcellor
blah firewalls ;P blah blah blah...

jank

blah firewalls ;P blah blah blah...

yea fine but if a script kiddy uploads a virus into your harddrive and it ****s up your computer dont be posting on boards asking how do i fix it!

its ignorant computer users like yourself thats helps all these viruses along, if everyone was secure behind a updated firewall than you wouldnt have all the **** that is going on in the moment with viruses and the like

what do they say again "Ignorance is bliss"

Mutant_Fruit

I highly recommend Kerio for a number of reasons.

Firstly, its completely free, (but if you pay some money, you can get enhanced features like Ad-blocking in websites).

Secondly, it has a good rules system. When you first install it, every time a program tries to access the internet, it asks you whether to permit, and you can make a permanent rule. You can even be as specific as deciding that a program can only connect to/accept incoming connections from a specific IP. You can also specify whether it can take bot incoming and outgoing connections, or just one, or no connections!

This is useful as you will not want incoming connections coming to SVChost (in WinXP) but you need that to be able to make outgoing connections.

Also, it can differentiate between "local" traffic, i.e. a lan, and internet traffic. So you can set your FTP to only work on your lan, and not accept internet connections, if you so wish.

My only problem with kerio is that it will not work with internet connection sharing software. It just doesn;t work, but if you use a router for sharing your connection, you'll have no problem.

Xcellor

Originally posted by jank
yea fine but if a script kiddy uploads a virus into your harddrive and it ****s up your computer dont be posting on boards asking how do i fix it!

its ignorant computer users like yourself thats helps all these viruses along, if everyone was secure behind a updated firewall than you wouldnt have all the **** that is going on in the moment with viruses and the like

what do they say again "Ignorance is bliss"

Firstly, I wouldn't be posting on any board to fix a virus. I fix computers with viruses for a living. I've a degree in computer science. And ive about 8 years worth of hands on experience with computers. It's for this reason I lack the paranoia of persons like yourself who believe if you have an open port on your computer you are immediately prone to hackers......... Or that without a firewall someone can force their way through onto your hard drive.... It doesn't work like that, up to date virus protection, a bit of understanding of what to open and what not to, avoiding warez sites with porn dialers and the likes. Common sense and know how are the best strategy against hack attacks... not firewall software... But it's obvious you are in short supply of both...

Xcellor

David-[RLD]-

yyeaaahhh but the majority of computer users are n00bs who will open any file if someone says it's "cool"

you gotta be a 1337 h/-\><><0r to know what to and not to open

firewalls are the best protection for beginners. you don't need them once you have about 11 years of computer experience (like me :ninja: )

zAbbo

Originally posted by David-[RLD]-
firewalls are the best protection for beginners. you don't need them once you have about 11 years of computer experience (like me :ninja: )

Since you were 4 years old!

Anyway as mentioned Kerio is a good firewall, If for nothing else than to educate a little as to what communicates with the internet and vice versa.

If you have some common sense and a decent upto date AV you should be sorted

jank

Originally posted by Xcellor
Ok... What is Bit Torrent... i tried to find it the other day and I downloaded some German porn dialer by accident lol...

above from another post from a so called guy with a degree in computer science and fixes computers infected with viruses for a living :rolleyes: classic though!

thank ****ing christ yor not a network admin anywhere near me

im not parinoid, just carefull as i value my PC and anybody with a bit of common sense and know-how will tell you that a personal firewall is a must for a home PC running windows especially if you have BB

Common sense and know how are the best strategy against hack attacks... not firewall software... But it's obvious you are in short supply of both...

as i said thank **** your not a network admin anywhere near me
sigh.. some people!

zAbbo

Too much paranoia is bad for the health... I keep virus checkers on all comps on my network and adware protection too... No one can access my internal network through the router. To the outside world I am merely one IP...

well hot piss, thats NATty

As Jank said, glad your not adminning any networks near me

dubmick

I use McAfee Firewall. Seems to be top notch, very easy to set up and has a caught a few 'fragment attacks' and blocked them.

Xcellor

Originally posted by jank
above from another post from a so called guy with a degree in computer science and fixes computers infected with viruses for a living :rolleyes: classic though!

thank ****ing christ yor not a network admin anywhere near me

im not parinoid, just carefull as i value my PC and anybody with a bit of common sense and know-how will tell you that a personal firewall is a must for a home PC running windows especially if you have BB


as i said thank **** your not a network admin anywhere near me
sigh.. some people!

Just because I know my stuff about computers does not mean I am any less prone to downloading files that appear to be one thing but turn out to be another. Especially when the piece of software is in another language...However I am completely confident in my abilities to deal with the situation when it occurs... To isolate a troublemaking piece of software and deal with it while maintaining the integrity of other files on my computer. I was suspicous when I downloaded the file but like I said, if it did break something I can fix it...

However I completely understand your point of view Yank, and really I urge you to get a firewall... no.. two of them and some virus protection... and make sure you have some disk recovery software in case you delete a file accidently.. and you may need a surge protector too... coz electrical spikes can be dangerous... and dont leave your modem plugged into the phoneline when you arent there because an electrical storm might blow your modem out... ;P


X

jank

Originally posted by Xcellor
Just because I know my stuff about computers does not mean I am any less prone to downloading files that appear to be one thing but turn out to be another. Especially when the piece of software is in another language...However I am completely confident in my abilities to deal with the situation when it occurs... To isolate a troublemaking piece of software and deal with it while maintaining the integrity of other files on my computer. I was suspicous when I downloaded the file but like I said, if it did break something I can fix it...

X

so you got caught out once when you downloaded something that you didnt even understand(idiot!) what would happen if under you "expert" nose someone uploaded a file that ****s up your hard. Its not nice having to reformat your whole hard drive again now is it. You have no firewall and its easier done then you think especially on BB
as i said your no expert, yea you may be able to build a PC but stick to that you, have no clue on networking and security

However I completely understand your point of view Yank, and really I urge you to get a firewall... no.. two of them and some virus protection... and make sure you have some disk recovery software in case you delete a file accidently.. and you may need a surge protector too... coz electrical spikes can be dangerous... and dont leave your modem plugged into the phoneline when you arent there because an electrical storm might blow your modem out... ;P

Are you sure you even went to college never mind finished it cause all your doing is ranting

Xcellor

Originally posted by jank
so you got caught out once when you downloaded something that you didnt even understand(idiot!) what would happen if under you "expert" nose someone uploaded a file that ****s up your hard. Its not nice having to reformat your whole hard drive again now is it. You have no firewall and its easier done then you think especially on BB
as i said your no expert, yea you may be able to build a PC but stick to that you, have no clue on networking and security

Are you sure you even went to college never mind finished it cause all your doing is ranting

If I felt in better humour I might take the time to write back a logical argument. I am not however.

You have your opinions. I have mine. Thank god for that because if everyone thought the same as you, the Internet would be unusable. In my experience firewalls and a lack of understanding can cause more trouble than they are worth. A badly configured firewall leads to applications not functioning correctly, VOIP applications being blocked, multiplayer gaming being slowed down and just general hassle.

Ordinary users who maintain up to date virus definitions and spywear scanners should not require a firewall. Emphasis on the ordinary. A bit of common sense is also good.

I hear what you are saying about the German porn dialer thing and agree I was a tad retarded on my part to run something like that... But if you are going to use the Internet you assume an element of risk. The risk posed by opening that file was not great enough to worry me. I've important things backed up... If I couldn't deal with the resulting consequences of that program being a virus and destroying my hard disk... now that would be completely retarded.

Now at this stage, I think it would be advisable for you to realise that people have different opinions. All I can say is it's a good thing....

X

jank

fair enough,
this board is about opinions you have yours i have mine
so lets bygones be bygones ok;)

neokenzo

I've used a couple of firewall software but currently I am using Black Ice. I think its great. It requires very little tweaking to it. However, you have to go through the firewall to install any program which is a pain sometime.

Gerry

Xcellor, you are making an excellent point here, but I think you are going overboard.
Firewalls are not a panacea, and installing them can lead to a false sense of security. However, without them you are exposing your systems needlessly to the world. What is the point in doing that?
Viruses are not the issue here, what about worms which require no help from the user to attack your systems?
Sure, you may have a backup, but it would be better to avoid all the mayhem and interruption surely?
Firewalls needs not be stupidly restrictive, ( and believe me, I have had to deal with some retarded security policies ). A decent firewall setup is to allow outgoing connections, and allow no incoming connections.
This works fine for multiplayer gaming, if you want to use dcc's in irc or filesharing or other externally accessible servers, you will have to allow specific connections to those ports.
I don't trust software firewalls, I think they are a useful addition to a separate, hardware firewall as they work at the application layer as well as the network layer.
But the front line of defence ( IMHO ) should be a hardware firewall, running something slightly less exploitable than windows.
I personally don't like the zyxel 623 as supplied by iol. It disconnects for no apparent reason, and doesn't instantly reconnect. It also runs NAT, but maps every port, so you get none of the security advantage of nat, basically you don't have a private ip anymore.
I switched the zyxel to bridge mode, and am using a p166 running a cut down version of freebsd as the router. ( m0n0wall ). No, you don't have to type any unix commands, it boots from a cd, and after pressing 2 keys to assign network cards, you can plug out the monitor, the rest of the setup is all web based.

There is also ipcop based on linux 2.4.x, basically a newer version of smoothwall. Again, has a web gui, and no unix commands required.

I plan on replacing the zyxel with a speedstream shortly, to see if I get even fewer disconnections.

Xcellor

I am not saying that firewalls are useless. They have their place. But I know people who have them installed and foolishly believe they are secure. It is this very attitude that is dangerous and naive. No piece of software no matter how sophisticated it is can be more effective than human cop on...

That's my two cents worth...............................
X

DMT

Originally posted by David-[RLD]-
yyeaaahhh but the majority of computer users are n00bs who will open any file if someone says it's "cool"

you gotta be a 1337 h/-\><><0r to know what to and not to open

firewalls are the best protection for beginners. you don't need them once you have about 11 years of computer experience (like me :ninja: )

j00 r n07 31337 3nuf

DMT

Originally posted by Xcellor
Just because I know my stuff about computers does not mean I am any less prone to downloading files that appear to be one thing but turn out to be another.

You did computer engineering in DIT didn't you...?