Re: How safe/unsafe is it to use winxp w/o built in firewall? by Roger
Roger
Tue Sep 14 05:46:13 CDT 2004
Safety is dependent on "the whole picture" of a machine's
OS and software load, but more importantly its configuration
and usage pattern. Of course it also depends on what is allowed
through the firewall, but let us assume we are speaking of a default
firewall without user-defined exceptions to what is blocked.
The firewall, OS provided or third-party, is one piece of this
picture. It main purpose, IMO, is to provide a cushion between
what is active on the network and what a machine has been
hardened against (by patch, by configuration, or by usage pattern
alignment). In itself a firewall is, again opinion, not a solution
for one seeking safety, although maybe a part of the solution.
Rather as a cushion it is a device that provides time for the
other parts of the total solution to come into place.
So, to address ?? of your subject, it depends on how the
machine is configured and how it is used, and the change in
safety from running without it might range from "no effect"
to "very hazardous".
--
Roger Abell
Microsoft MVP (Windows Server System: Security)
MCSE (W2k3,W2k,Nt4) MCDBA
"dot dot dot" <hello.4.coachz@spamgourmet.com> wrote in message
news:cd4385d7.0409140048.47afe6dc@posting.google.com...
> As the subject says, thanx!