Thoughts and Questions About COMODO FW

Discussion in 'other firewalls' started by Brandonn2010, Jan 28, 2013.

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  1. Brandonn2010

    Brandonn2010 Registered Member

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    I decided to replace Online Armor with COMODO 6, partially because I was curious about its new stuff, and also because I had a few annoyances from OA.

    Questions:

    - I noticed by default HIPS is disabled. Does the sandbox and behavior blocker provide sufficient protection, or is the HIPS recommended? I would like minimal pop-ups, I just want protection for once I disable AppGuard to install something.

    - I was thinking of using it in conjunction with BitDefender free once they update it to deal with the auto-delete. If I ran Chrome always sandboxed, would the protection still be near 100%? (I rarely run into malware.)

    Thoughts:

    - Love the interface.

    - Love the ratings scan still available with just the FW installed.

    - Love the ability to always sandbox, and the nice boarder around a sandboxed application when it is running.

    - SEEMS like it would be good for computer novices.

    - Seems like running Chrome sandboxed slows it down, not good.

    - Does not like AppGuard (kind of). When I ran Chrome sandboxed, I got a long list of actions blocked by AppGuard, specifically registry entries regarding VirtualHost.
     
    Last edited: Jan 28, 2013
  2. KelvinW4

    KelvinW4 Registered Member

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    Q1. The BB is designed to supplement the AV, as it is now more polished and will auto-run unknown programs in sandbox. This way, it is lighter and quieter because HIPS does not check process handles and no popups.
    Q2. It is indeed about 100%/similar to sandboxie. However, the AV does not check downloaded files in the virtual session. You can make scheduled scans to scan "VTROOT" for possible malware.
     
    Last edited: Jan 29, 2013
  3. Brandonn2010

    Brandonn2010 Registered Member

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    Auto-sandbox seems sufficient for me then. However, it is disabled by default. Will it prompt me if an unknown program runs and ask me if I want to sandbox it?
     
  4. Page42

    Page42 Registered Member

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    If you haven't already, I recommend reading Chiron's awesome instructions... How to Install Comodo Firewall.
    I direct your attention to this from Chiron (with my coloring):
    From my own standpoint, I followed many of Chiron's recommendations. I still have Comodo w/D+ (version 5) installed. I have been reluctant to upgrade to v6 due to reported issues with Chrome. I too migrated to Comodo FW as a direct result of issues with OA, and I was a big OA fan.
    CFW D+ has been fantastic for me. Very quiet, unlike what I hear some folks say. I guess everyone's mileage does indeed vary. ;)
     
  5. KelvinW4

    KelvinW4 Registered Member

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    Autosandbox is actually enabled by default. Yes, even if the HIPs if turned off, it will ask you if you "allow" the program or sandbox.
     
  6. Brandonn2010

    Brandonn2010 Registered Member

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    Very useful. I've added his guide to my site under the COMODO FW review.

    Also, does Matousec include the BB in their tests or just Defense+?
     
  7. KelvinW4

    KelvinW4 Registered Member

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    I believe it only emphasizes on Firewall and HIPS.
     
  8. Krysis

    Krysis Registered Member

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    Likewise! I too thought highly of OA but had to ditch it as it kept killing my internet connection. I have a 3G Mobile Broadband connection and it creates a temporary .vbs file when the connection manager starts up – when the connection manager finishes loading, the .vbs is deleted. So it doesn't 'stay' on the system. OA couldn't cope with this and would frequently block the file the next time it appeared thereby blocking my net connection.
    Comodo sandboxes this file but otherwise allows it to run.

    I use Comodo FW 5.10 in Windows 7 and have installed Comodo FW V6 in Windows 8 Pro. My only gripe, and a minor one, with V6 is that you have to dig into the 'Applications Rules' window to see what appears at a glance in V5.+ Network Security Policy window. Eg, ports, protocols, etc. Otherwise I think Comodo FW is great.

    When the new release comes out that allows importing previous versions settings, I will no doubt upgrade to V6 in Windows 7. :cool:
     
  9. The Red Moon

    The Red Moon Registered Member

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    I too have a 3g mobile broadband connection and i never experienced any issues with OA.
    Although i didnt use the connection manager i connected via the taskbar connection icon.
     
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