Easy to use firewall for my dad

What kind of firewall would you suggest for my average-user dad. I am convinced that rule based firewalls are too complicated for him (like Look´n Stop). Should be easy to configure and understand without getting too technical. He is on a 24h cable connection using Windows 2000.

 

outpost 1 free version maybe? thats what i usually recommend to my newbie friends, and altho it may be confusing first time u run it, i reckon its fairly easy to use

 

Let your dad give a try to LnS with "enhanced ruleset"
He will be perfectly save and will have nothing to do
(or almost) (Despite what tou said about LnS)

Regards

 

Hi User99,

Just to let you know that Look n Stop can be used "out of the box" with its enhanced rules set. It's really very easy.
Have a look at https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=4790 where I asked that question (under a different name).

Regards,
Douglas

I'm sorry Claire. I posted before I saw your response

 

Hi User99

First...welcome to the Wilders Security Forum .

While rule based firewalls may seem complicated, a number of products now offer "out of the box" usability and/or some form of automatic or pre-defined rules for common applications that makes things easier for average or new users. For those that want to get into the rule sets, that is also possible. Others, like Zone Alarm, remain more application based, but are also starting to provide more flexibility.

Some of the main stream offerings that you might want to look at:

Black Ice PC Protection
Kaspersky Anti-Hacker
Look 'n' Stop
McAfee Firewall
McAfee Internet Security
Norton Personal Firewall
Norton Internet Security
Outpost Firewall Free and Pro
Sygate Personal Firewall
Sygate Personal Firewall Pro
Zone Alarm
Zone Alarm Plus
Zone Alarm Pro

If you feel your dad would be more comfortable with something that is strictly application based, then perhaps one of the ZA offerings might suit his needs.

For additional information:

Wilders.org - Firewalls
Eric Howes Privacy & Security Page which has also has a good list under the firewall link.

Regards,

CrazyM

 

Sorry if I step on anyones toes. I feel Zone Alarm is an easy out of box firewall that anyone can use. Just allow access and block server rights and bang your up and running.

 

As a techno-idiot, I recommend either ZoneAlarm or Sygate. I know absolutely, positively nothing about firewalls. If I had to make a rule to protect me from something, I'd have to quit the Internet. I found either of the above pig simple, which is exactly what I needed.

I currently run Sygate Pro and it is far and away the best (for me) of the five or six I've tried. I haven't done a single thing except install it and activate the stealth mode browsing feature. It successfully passed the pcflanks, blackcode, hackerwatch, securitymetric, and sygate tests. It showed fully stealthed in all, and had no problems in any of the various tests. It also passed the various grc tests and grc's leaktest. All this is without any configuration on my part.

I think I can confidently say that your father can't be any more computer ignorant than me. He's probably from my era. I'm 57, crowding 58 hard and am far more comfortable with a manual typewriter than a computer.

 

Sygate is a good firewall but they tend to have a little problem. If you use a proxy (Web washer or proxomitron) it lets apps out though them. For instants if you use weather watcher or weather pulse they don't ask permission to access the internet. But they is a say way around this. Just use SysSafe monitor (SSM) you can get it at Http://www.webattack.com just do a search for it. Oh yeah BTW Sygate claims to have a ix for this kind of problem in the next version. I hope they fix the allow every app server rights.

 

Thanks notageek. I don't have proxomitron on my machine. Had it and almost locked myself out by playing with the rules, and then couldn't figure out how to fix what I screwed up.

I've tried, as I said, a few firewalls and always go back to sygate. The bottom line for me is that I'm comfortable with it. ZoneAlarm worked well for me as did McAfee, but I just prefer sygate. The others, Kerio, outpost, and Look and Stop, weren't fully stealth after the download. Someday I'll take a few hours and learn how to make rules. I really like what I've read about Look and Stop.

 

Agreed !
ZA Free is probably the easiest out - of - the - box FW.
I have great respect for Sygate Free as well !

regards,
bill

 

I think... Sygate would a be a good choice, very simple application firewall. If your dad would like to expand his knowledge to rule base....sygate has an option to make rules.

But again, the most simpliest application firewall would probably be zonealarm... Sygate is not that much harder to configure though.

YODA

 

Yes Sygate would be a good choice but if you don't let your dad know to go through and unchecker server rights than all the programs that want to have server rights (even if they don't need the rights they still get them). Zone Alarm on the other hand ask before the program gets server rights. That's just my thoughts, I'm sure lot of others won't think like me.

 

Thanks for the advice! I will check out Sygate and Zone Alarm.