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General discussion (archive)A Silly Question About Firewalls(13 posts)(13 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted June 22, 2009
Guys,
I've been messing around with UT3 and trying to get rid of the annoying DMZ error message that occurs whenever I try to host a game.
I've discovered the UPD./ TCP port I require to open and for hours last night couldn't for the life of me work out why (even though my router was configured correctly to allow that port) it wouldn't work.
I took it one step further and in Windows firewall I added the port in question to the 'allow through firewall' on Windows Vista Firewall too.
Again for some reason (using whatsmyip.com and the ports scanner utility) the port still reported a timeout.
Now... Here's my question :)
According to the the Windows Help file, it suggests that if you have a router with firewall (I do) then they recommend also using the windows firewall, BUT! only as an aid to protect you from internal attacks i.e people on your internal network.
Considering the internal network is my Wife's MAC and that I have WEP enabled protection on my wireless, turning off the windows firewall and leaving the router firewall in place, would that be sufficient protection?
I can't really see that I'd get many (if any at at all) attacks from people hovering outside my house that are happy to crack the WEP protection and sign on to my network in order to just target me with some form of attack?
I'm sure it is safer to have the windows firewall enabled as well as your routers, but for the average Joe in the street, turning this off wouldn't really expose me that much would it?
Feel free to ridicule me and my thinking... :)
Posted June 22, 2009
Well as a qualified IT professional I think I can echo the words of one of my former teachers "Oh that crap, turn that off before you do anything else". Basically it creates ast least as many problems as it solves
It IS safer to have multilayered firewalls but the simple reality is that if someone can get by your hardware firewall, the only impediment to them getting into your PC will be the tears of laughter they have seeing you're relying on the windows firewall.
I'd definitely suggest something better than wep if you can, its crap. Turning off the SSID broadcast & enabling MAC filtering for your network cards would be a sensible thing to do as well
Post edited June 22, 2009 by Aliasalpha
Posted June 22, 2009
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Aliasalpha: Well as a qualified IT professional I think I can echo the words of one of my former teachers "Oh that crap, turn that off before you do anything else". Basically it creates ast least as many problems as it solves
It IS safer to have multilayered firewalls but the simple reality is that if someone can get by your hardware firewall, the only impediment to them getting into your PC will be the tears of laughter they have seeing you're relying on the windows firewall.
I'd definitely suggest something better than wep if you can, its crap. Turning off the SSID broadcast & enabling MAC filtering for your network cards would be a sensible thing to do as well

Cheers Aliasalpha. I didn't realise that the Windows firewall was really just for internal networks. I've disabled the SSID broadcast and I'll look to change from WEP asap. But as for the internal firewall, I'm turning it off so I can enjoy UT3 :)
Posted June 22, 2009
I would suggest WPA2 if your router and PC/MACs can use it over WEP. And Though I live out in the country area, I've had people park on the highway and try to connect to simply gain internet access on my older wireless router.
It depends on just how secure you want to be, but turning off the windows firewall can be done with out issue (It's not very strong in itself).
Post edited June 22, 2009 by Ois
Posted June 22, 2009
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Aliasalpha: the simple reality is that if someone can get by your hardware firewall, the only impediment to them getting into your PC will be the tears of laughter they have seeing you're relying on the windows firewall

i loled
Posted June 22, 2009
What is a good firewall, then? Would Avast work fine, or do I need something a little more heavy-duty, like Norton or McAffe?
Posted June 22, 2009
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TheCheese33: What is a good firewall, then? Would Avast work fine, or do I need something a little more heavy-duty, like Norton or McAffe?

Avast isn't a firewall -- Outpost has been recommended to me (there's a free version), and I've had good experiences with it. Um. I've been using Windows Firewall for like, a decade, now though, and have had pretty much no problems. I'm thinking about just saying fuck it altogether.
Posted June 22, 2009
Hmmm thanks for the 'Outpost' link. I might look into that later. :)
Posted June 22, 2009
Comodo is pretty good as far as free software firewalls go.
Posted June 22, 2009
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TheCheese33: What is a good firewall, then? Would Avast work fine, or do I need something a little more heavy-duty, like Norton or McAffe?
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chautemoc: Avast isn't a firewall -- Outpost has been recommended to me (there's a free version), and I've had good experiences with it. Um. I've been using Windows Firewall for like, a decade, now though, and have had pretty much no problems. I'm thinking about just saying fuck it altogether.

Yeah, it's not like I really go on any unsafe sites. I'll probably be fine.
Posted June 22, 2009
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TheCheese33: Yeah, it's not like I really go on any unsafe sites. I'll probably be fine.

Firewalls will do nothing to protect you from malicious sites. What a decent software firewall will do is protect you from worms that just go hammering on any open ports, and also prevent and alert you to any process trying to establish an outgoing connection that you haven't whitelisted.
Posted June 22, 2009
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Aliasalpha: Well as a qualified IT professional I think I can echo the words of one of my former teachers "Oh that crap, turn that off before you do anything else". Basically it creates ast least as many problems as it solves
It IS safer to have multilayered firewalls but the simple reality is that if someone can get by your hardware firewall, the only impediment to them getting into your PC will be the tears of laughter they have seeing you're relying on the windows firewall.
I'd definitely suggest something better than wep if you can, its crap. Turning off the SSID broadcast & enabling MAC filtering for your network cards would be a sensible thing to do as well

Agreed, somebody should take firewalls out to pasture and put a bullet through their head.
Posted June 22, 2009
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chautemoc: Avast isn't a firewall -- Outpost has been recommended to me (there's a free version), and I've had good experiences with it. Um. I've been using Windows Firewall for like, a decade, now though, and have had pretty much no problems. I'm thinking about just saying fuck it altogether.
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TheCheese33: Yeah, it's not like I really go on any unsafe sites. I'll probably be fine.

I was reading an article a few weeks ago..this fellow was saying he had set up an anti-virus free computer years ago as an experiment, and hadn't gotten one virus on it since, because he uses common sense when browsing. :)
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This is my favourite topic
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General discussion (archive)A Silly Question About Firewalls(13 posts)(13 posts)
(13 posts)