Firewall Suggestion . .

Discussion in 'other firewalls' started by TECHWG, Nov 24, 2006.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. lucas1985

    lucas1985 Retired Moderator

    Joined:
    Nov 9, 2006
    Posts:
    4,047
    Location:
    France, May 1968
    Yes, current v2 is in beta stage. The final version will be shareware or another limited license ;)
    v1 will remain freeware :thumb:
     
  2. SamSpade

    SamSpade Registered Member

    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2006
    Posts:
    415
    Since the topic of Jetico 1 not being a service (operating at boot), I want to know how important this is if one is running behind a hardware router.

    #1 I use a Dlink DI 604E (Eastern European-type). Is this good enough protection until Jetico gets started as a normal application?

    #2 If I go wifi (airport, coffee shop, etc.) and am no longer behind a hardware router, what's the danger??


    //
     
  3. KDNeese

    KDNeese Registered Member

    Joined:
    Dec 16, 2005
    Posts:
    236
    I had been tinkering with the idea of trying Jetico for some time. However, from everything I'd read, it sounded like more trouble than it was worth. Also, there are some other threads that have pointed out some possible deficiencies in Comodo - won't get into all that. Also, one thing that bothered me is that I had the Comodo update program set to "ask" in the rules, but it bypassed the rule and "phoned home" regardless. I really don't like software going behind my back (as ZA also was prone to do), and it didn't set well with me. I keep aprised of updates for all my software and, if I need an update, I want to implement the process.

    Anyway, after reading your post, I was encouraged that Jetico just might not be something beyond my abilities. I uninstalled Comodo and installed Jetico v1. For the life of me, I can't see what all the fuss is about it being difficult to understand. Initial configuration was pretty painless, as it configured my local settings for me. Granted, after reboot there were some system processes for which I had to give permission to the local network (as well as applications accessing the Internet, common to all new firewall installs), but that was it. I didn't find the UI counter-intuitive at all. Also, it's capabilities compared to other firewalls I've used is amazing. I use SSM as well, and it warned me of processes that SSM has never even warned me of. I guess I'm not quite a newbie, as I'm pretty familiar with system processes, know what should and shouldn't be running on my system, etc., but I'm not super-technical either. However, I found Jetico very easy to configure. I haven't tried my hand at advanced rules, but don't really feel I need them. Anyway, just wanted to let you know that your post resulted in one person finding a very good firewall that uses little resources and is a perfect match as far as working with my other security programs I use (total of 2 - SSM & NOD32). I guess for a person not familiar with the main system files running on their computer, it might be somewhat of a challenge at first. But as for me, I am very, very pleased with this firewall. Much like you, I had been using Sunbelt Kerio for some time (paid version for the last year). However, its memory usage as seemed to skyrocket with every new release. With all the good free sotware available now, I felt it was time to switch. I thought about trying the Jetico v2 beta, but instead decided to go with a known stable (howbeit older) version. Am glad I decided to try Jetico. Definitely is not the nightmare some make it out to be.
     
  4. steve161

    steve161 Registered Member

    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2006
    Posts:
    681
    Location:
    New York
    I have used jetico 1.0 and I was impressed by its performance. Great on the leak tests, solid outbound protection, and very light (7.5mb memory). However, it is noisy for a few days and you need to look carefully at what it is asking you to block or allow. I believe the beta 2.0 has addressed this problem but I have yet to use it.
     
  5. jasonago

    jasonago Registered Member

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2006
    Posts:
    31
    Location:
    Philippines
    I use Ghostwall as a firewall because it is very simple and very light. It doesn't have outbound/application control although it's firewall rules are very strong. Because of this, there are no annoying popups that alerts everytime a program connects to the net.

    Now, how about for the malicious applications trying to access the net? I rely on Avira's strong virus/malware detection rate and ofcourse I use Cyberhawk as an HIPS. What makes Cyberhawk my HIPS choice is that it is very light and has very few false positives that may interfere with normal usage.

    So you see, my personal choice of security tools is that:
    -Should be easy to use with minimal user interuptions and configurations
    -very light in system resources
    -and ofcourse it should be free

    Avira uses about 8-12MB ram, cyberhawk approximately 10MB, and a negligible 400kb for ghostwall. But actually, ghostwall driver doesnt register its memory usage and the ghostwall gui that you see in taskmanager can be killed without affecting the firewalls performance...its just a gui...By the way the ram values are just approximations...they can even go lower than that...

    With these setup you are protected from:
    -Almost all viruses/malwares (Avira)
    -Future attacks/malicious programs (Cyberhawk)
    -Outside attcks from hackers, port scanners, exploits, etc. (Ghostwall)

    Now to be obsessive-compulsive, you may use spybot s&d or spyware doctor to check any other traces of spywares/adwares and even remnants of other malwares...
     
  6. SamSpade

    SamSpade Registered Member

    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2006
    Posts:
    415
    It seems we're on the same page in our views toward Jetico 1.x. Glad I could help. At first I was hesitant to give it a try -- what with all the horror stories being circulated about it -- but all that fuss finally made me want to go see just how one poor little firewall could cause such a ruckus !!
    :cautious:

    I'm glad I trusted my own counsel in the end and gave the app a go; it's been the best firewall I've found so far.

    And I just love its price!!

    :D

    //
     
  7. Pedro

    Pedro Registered Member

    Joined:
    Nov 2, 2006
    Posts:
    3,502
    Having not tried Jetico, i have to consent. I'm happy with Comodo. From what i gather Jetico is very good too. But for the free version, no updates. You say not needed. For firewall strict and basic funtions (what defines a firewall:) ), not needed indeed. But i want more lol. Beyond the normal firewall scope. As long as it won't start scanning for viruses and such:D .

    Besides Comodo, my eyes feast on CoreForce. It's hardore, lol, but i can see where it is going, full control. But there aren't that many users talking about it, and as i don't have a test computer, i won't be seeing it:'( .
    I would like to know more about it from experience. Other's experience and thoughts about it, comparing to other solutions.

    Who has tried it?
     
  8. SamSpade

    SamSpade Registered Member

    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2006
    Posts:
    415

    Thanks for your feedback, Benny. Yes, it is noisy for a while -- and it has to go through its learning curve all over again if you ever put it under NTWrapper to make it run as a service, but hey! we all gotta learn sometime.

    Actually, the "noise" is quite muted, imho. Jetico 1.x needs to learn both your network connections and your system processes. That's it. Once it does learn how you want to run these, it goes to sleep. Just like ZAP and virtually every other fw I have ever used. No big deal.


    //
     
  9. GS2

    GS2 Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jul 22, 2006
    Posts:
    42
    Jetico v1.0 users here too, for about 6 months. I am using NTWrapper with it, and have SSM installed. I would recommend it to anyone, I enjoy the control and informaton it provides, that it is freeware, and very light on resources, just a shame the next version is going to be shareware :(
     
  10. KDNeese

    KDNeese Registered Member

    Joined:
    Dec 16, 2005
    Posts:
    236
    I tried Core Force for a very short time (very, very short). Configuring Jetico is a piece of cake compared to the complex infrastucture of Core Force. If I remember right, it's rule structure is similar to Jetico (hierarchial tables, etc), but on a larger scale and much more confusing to a non-technical person like myself. In comparing it with Jetico, the Jetico installation did a lot of the difficult configuring for me automatically, while I had to configure Core Force from scratch and was completely lost. I think it could be a very powerful tool for advanced users who really know what they're doing, but it was way above my head and level of patience. I wouldn't recommend installing Core Force unless you have a lot of free time on your hands to get it configured properly as well as a lot more patience than I have.
     
  11. TECHWG

    TECHWG Guest

    i must say that for the most part i do seem to think that comodo firewall, avast antivirus and either ssm free or ProSecurity free is the best setup for free, maybe throw in like some antispyware in there.
     
  12. twl845

    twl845 Registered Member

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2005
    Posts:
    4,186
    Location:
    USA
    I set up Comodo with NOD32 plus a few anti - virus apps and I think CPF and NOD are a fantastic duo. After using ZASS for a few years I feel like I died and went to heaven. :D
     
  13. TECHWG

    TECHWG Guest

    :D yes i bloody hate ZA its so not cool . . all that resources and bloat. makes me feel like chucking up . . reminds me of an all you can eat steak nite . . . . lets just put some more bloat on my plate . .
     
  14. SamSpade

    SamSpade Registered Member

    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2006
    Posts:
    415

    I just started using jetico v. 1, and I like it very much. Light but covers the important traffic and process-starting issues, as far as I can see.

    Do you use NTWrapper or something else to load Jetico early, as a service? Would loading it on the driver level be even better?

    Does SSM fulfill the mission of preventing *any* code transmission in or out of your system until you have the final say?

    How much resource does SSM use?

    Thanks in advance for your answers, Tommy.

    Sorry for newbie questions. :rolleyes:

    Sam
     
  15. Nature

    Nature Registered Member

    Joined:
    Nov 28, 2006
    Posts:
    13
    Did you try to turn off auto update? ;) (in security/advanced/misc)

    How did you see that it "phoned home"o_O?
     
  16. Nature

    Nature Registered Member

    Joined:
    Nov 28, 2006
    Posts:
    13
    Here is a leaktest result, but Jetico v.1 is not in there, but the v.2.0.0.6 beta is.
    It get really good results.
    Also look at Comodo... ;)

    Leaktest
     
  17. KDNeese

    KDNeese Registered Member

    Joined:
    Dec 16, 2005
    Posts:
    236
    Yes, I did have auto update turned off and had the Comodo update set to "Ask" in the app rules. I use a couple of other utilities to monitor network traffic and log every packet that was sent or received. I kind of like the idea of keeping my apps accountable and not doing things behind my back. Anyway, I noticed that while I was online for several hours, connections had been made in spite of my rule settings. It was at that point I decided to make the change and try Jetico.
     
  18. Tarq57

    Tarq57 Registered Member

    Joined:
    Oct 7, 2006
    Posts:
    966
    Location:
    Wellington NZ
    techWG,
    Another vote for Comodo. I'm not a guru, and found it pretty straightforwardto install and configure. Hell, I'm not even a geek! A wannabe geek maybe. Anyway, sure you'll be very interested in the thread recently started here concerning leaktests. https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=156021 :thumb:
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.