Steven
Mon Dec 20 14:28:07 CST 2004
I tend to doubt that a firewall [even a cheap one] will slow down you
connection unless you are using a T3 line or such. If you still are worried,
then get a Netscreen 5 XP off of Ebay for cheap - just be sure to get at
least OS 4 version though it does not have the capability of URL filtering
without using a third party for pay service.
I don't know your operating system but if it is XP, upgrading to SP2 will
increase your security quite a bit. If you are having a problem with
Trojans, make sure that you are using a complex password for your
administrator account and try not to logon as an administrator when browsing
the internet. This assumes an XP/W2K operating system. If you are not,
upgrading would go a long way to increasing your security. The other thing
to consider is to take advantage of Internet Explorer settings. You can use
"Web Content Zones" to enhance browsing security by setting your internet
web content zone to high and populating your trusted zone with the sites you
trust 100 percent. This will make browsing a bit inconvenient but much more
safer. Also you need to make sure that your antivirus program is current
with virus definitions and it also scans ALL emails as that is where a lot
of trojans come from.
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm -- read this on recommended
minimum security levels for IE.
Firewalls are not good protection from trojans. A software firewall such as
Zone Alarm or Sygate can alert you to one already installed but I would
focus on prevention with methods I mentioned previously. Getting messages
about external attempts by a firewall are not at all unusual and it means
the firewall is doing it's job. I use a hardware firewall so I never see
those messages until I look in it's log and then there are plenty. ---
Steve
"aven" <aven@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:2C09FB92-39A7-4C55-9FDB-2E9770729CD1@microsoft.com...
> Thanks for your reply.
> I will look into getting a hardware device soon. But i heard that this
> slows
> down the bandwidth. And the configuration is pretty tedious, blocking
> certain
> malicious sites.
>
> I regulary update my Norton Virus definations. But there is a weakness
> here:
> norton may warn u before downloading a trojan file, but the warning often
> comes too late even if i choose to abort download. From here, the only
> way
> is to search the link to the trojan and quarantine it, since it is not
> repairable sometimes. I believe backdoor trojan is one of the trickest
> hurdle
> to tackle in time to come.
>
> I use norton and sygate security scan once a while. As a added precaution,
> i
> go to properties of drive>sharing> and enable"do not share folder" at each
> net session. Also uses 2 different firewalls simultaneously.
>
> Sometimes, the firewall may asks whether to allow external connection from
> some unknown parties at apparently out of the blue in the midst of
> surfing.
> Well, i guess that is the "trap"!
>
> Have a Merry Xmas!
>
> "Steven L Umbach" wrote:
>
>> A firewall is only one part of a secure network. I would also install a
>> hardware device such as a NAT router [Linksys, D-Link, Netgear, etc] as
>> these devices tend to be easy to configure and are pretty much set and
>> forget. I see them for as low as $19 after rebates.I would however change
>> the default password for configuration. A software firewall can be more
>> flexible in what they block and allow, including rules mapped to
>> applications however they coexist with the operating system,
>> applications,
>> and user and are subject to misconfiguration by the user or possibly
>> being
>> disabled by a malware, operating system/application problem or backdoor
>> trojan. If you also are using a hardware device, you will still be
>> largely
>> protected in case of a problem with your software firewall.
>>
>> Having said that a firewall will happily allow any traffic as long as it
>> conforms to the firewall rules. So if you are not careful and open an
>> email
>> without scanning it first for malware then your computer could very
>> easily
>> be compromised. You also need to keep your virus definitions current and
>> keep current with critical update at Windows Updates. Some of the
>> vulnerabilities found with IE for instance can not be mitigated by your
>> firewall as your firewall will allow internet browsing I assume. Lowering
>> your IE security levels from default is also a recipe for disaster. If
>> you
>> are using XP or Windows 2000 I would also make sure that your
>> administrator
>> password is hard to guess as a lot of malware will run a short but very
>> effective password attack against the built in administrator account in
>> order to install itself. if you are using XP, upgrading to SP2 will make
>> your computer much more secure as a lot of effort has gone into
>> eliminating
>> operating system vulnerabilities. So don't worry just about your firewall
>> but take a multi pronged approach to network security and you will be
>> much
>> more secure. --- Steve
>>
>>
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/default.aspx -- Protect
>> my
>> PC from Microsoft.
>>
>> "aven" <aven@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:6F97817C-E112-4739-B7C1-ADB3C1F10EDB@microsoft.com...
>> >I uses broadband and often there is attempted hacking via port 443, many
>> > times such attempts were twarted by installed firewall e.g. Spynet and
>> > zone
>> > alarm. Are there other potential ways that a hacker could break
>> > through a
>> > home pc? Briefly what are they.
>>
>>
>>