Shields up Query.

hi,
Is the GRC shields up test site a trustworthy site.?
Just been there to test the kaspersky firewall and i have a mixture of closed and stealthed ports.
Im well aware that the stealth status is more a marketing gimmick and moderators on the kaspersky forum seem to agree with this.

Can a lot of faith be put into this test.?
Am i right to be slightly paranoid about this as previous firewalls i have used have been all green on there.
Ive asked the same thing on the kaspersky forum and they assured me its ok and its how the adaptive nature of their firewall is.
Any opinions on this and am i vulnerable.?
Thanks.

 

Grc is a trustworthy site. I doubt you are vulnerable behind KIS firewall (even better if you have router in front)

 

Yes it's trustworthy as I have been visiting there for years I'm behind a router and it comes back all stealth but it has DMZ and tried the test again against Look'n'Stop and it came back all stealth and your fine if it reports closed and stealth but not open ports IMO.

TH

 

I can achieve full stealth with kaspersky if i wished with a few mouse clicks in the firewall section but it comes as is by default so im going to leave it as it is.

 

You are perfectly fine. You need to worry (not too much ) if you have "OPEN" ports.

 

Steve Gibson's GRC?

yeah, the guy is on our side.
no problems there.

 

Of course they'd agree with it there, since it supports their stance/product. Don't get me wrong, a closed port is just as good as a stealthed, one, I'm just saying that's hardly an objective viewpoint. I'd say stealthed ports are far more than a mere marketing gimmick. It's solid implementation. Then, so are closed ports.

 

its more a psychological thing with me..stealth feels more secure than closed even if it is possibly a false sense of security.

 

Hi Beethoven1770

Well for your peace of Mind , you could [should] do those few mouse clicks.

Take Care
TheQuest

 

Hi,
Yes i could do that but i feel kaspersky have designed it this way for a purpose so im going to leave it as is.
I get a bit paranoid about these things lol.

 

Hi Beethoven1770

A little paranoia is not too bad as it keep you [us] alert , in fact one of the biggest posters on these forums in the past [last posted here in Nov 2009] at Wilders and on Outpost Firewall forums about firewalls was called Paranoid2000.

Is [was] your Kaspersky Internet Security, free from your bank?

Take Care
TheQuest

 

i purchased kaspersky for an incredible £19 from argos lol.Its a bargain for the price.
I dont usually pay for software but i heard many good things about kaspersky and im very happy with it.
regards.

 

I could not disagree more with this statement. Stealth ports are more than a "psychological thing".

If all your ports are "stealth" and you are not responding to pings, then for all intents and purposes you are invisible to anyone doing port scans searching for vulnerable systems.

If your ports are responding as "closed" then that means that there is a system responding (yes closed, but still a response)...stealth ports don't respond anything.