Is firewall necessary?

That was a nice discussion on ZoneAlarm. But ... is a firewall really necessary?

 

I'd argue for one any day. If you're on broadband, you wouldn't believe the number of port scans your system gets hourly.. yes.. hourly. In this age of script kiddies and black hats, to me, not having a firewall is like dropping the soap in a crowded shower. Not everyone is going to look as you bend over to pick it up, but there's always someone looking for an open port.

 

yeah, but it got your attention now didn't it

 

doubts????-

Try a firewall for 24 hours and then read the logs and then tell us if a firewall is neccessary

 

i am getting broadband but i need to know if it safe and can be done to run 2 firewalls at the same time

also i am using nortons firewall now how do you rate it

 

Guess I'd better remember to squat, because I hate to take showers alone! But seriously folks, I kinda forgot to mention that I'm not on broadband. I use dial-up modem. Am I to understand that the firewall is needed only when I'm online? Of course, that's enough reason for it, I guess.

 

i did know someone who ran 2 firewalls on her computer, routed it thru USB on another computer with another firewall on it, then to the server with another firewall on it, then onto the router which had NAT. Completley pointless, but it worked. she may as well have used 1 computer! If you are on broadband without a firewall you are a sitting duck. especially if you are on a mainstream provider. hackers/crackers look for people (for example AOL) on big providers who are likley to overlook packets sent. if anything a firewall will give you an idea of whats on the net on your computer (e.g. spyware).
p.s. it can somtimes be dangerous to have 2 firewalls, chicken & egg senario, each firewall will try to route traffic to the other, that is if they both use the same method of filtering

 

While anyone on broadband should use a firewall, it's even more critical on Cable. Cable setup is basically like one large party line/network for all those on your "node", and a savvy neighbor may be able to stick his nose into your computer, and that's even more likely than the random bad guy out there in the ether.

 

I used Norton Personal Firewall 2003 and i love it!! This guy accessed my computer and was trying to get some files, Norton not only closed the port, it took a reading of his IP address, blocked him, then showed me a virtual map of what city he was in. I busted him up with his ISP, the are reporting his activity to the police.

 

I am curious about one thing.... I have cable and I run a router with a firewall... tested with GIbson Research and all works fine...
Do I still need a software firewall??
I have used both ZA and Norton... and the only positive I see is control of outgoing info..
Is that correct?

 

yes.. I use a software firewall for just that reason. I like to have that extra reassurance that I know what my apps are connecting to.

 

Lots of folks will say that the "I need a firewall" attitude is just a paranoid problem that some folks have. You could go days, weeks, even months without ever being hacked. But that one time .....

It is worth spending an hour or two setting up a firewall.

long time ago ... I had dial-up, and left it connected overnight while I d/l a couple songs ... I woke up to a totally trashed system. the hours of reformat... reinstall .. etc. don't compare to an ounce of prevention.

 

I'm convinced

OK, folks, I'm convinced. I downloaded the free version of ZoneAlarm a couple of days ago. I'm only online a couple of hours a day, but the log shows several blocked things, and I've allowed several. I don't understand any of the info in the log--stuff like UDP, TCP. Source IP,Destination DNS, and all the numbers. But I get a feeling of well-being just seeing all that stuff. Thanks to all.

 

unless someone has a grudge against you, with a firewall you are very unlikley to get hacked, at all. most stupid script kiddies (i know one, and yes, i did punch him for the whole geek community) just do a ip scan over a range and then finding someone with a few ports open and have a go at it. if you dont have any ports open, then they wont even bother. of course if someone has specificaly targeted you, there isnt much you can do but hope.

 

>In this age of script kiddies and black hats, to me, not having a firewall is like dropping the soap in a crowded shower. Not everyone is going to look as you bend over to pick it up, but there's always someone looking for an open port.

HarHar!!

That sums up the situation quite well.
Mind if I use that in the future??

 

Is a Firewall necessary?

Well, I'll add my two cents worth here also.

I was on dialup, and had been having problems staying in a MSN Chat room.. One of my friends in there said I was probably being hacked, and recommended ZoneAlarm.

After I installed the free version, I was shocked to see just how many alerts I received.. Later on, I went to a DSL connection, behind a NAT, and didn't receive any more alerts (Unless I went back to dialup for some reason).. But, since I've learned the lesson about firewalls, I've gone to the trouble of upgrading to ZoneAlarm Pro..

Do you need a firewall? Yes.. If for no other reason, then if you would happen to get a "worm" on your computer, the firewall may be used to block it's spread.. Plus, as was mentioned earlier, you'll be surprised at how many programs are trying to access the internet behind your back..

As for the soap in the shower analogy, I'm going to remember that also, and use it.. I think it's an awesome attention getter.
Patrick.