Firewall Experts: Please, your opinion.

Discussion in 'other firewalls' started by Omnitech, Mar 21, 2008.

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  1. Omnitech

    Omnitech Registered Member

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    A friend runs WinXP Pro SP2.
    In terms of his Internet browsing habits, he is a risky surfer.
    He tried two (2) light firewalls, but he lacks the knowledge/expertise
    to decide upon them:

    -Webroot Desktop Firewall 5.5, which is free.

    -Look 'n' Stop 2.06, which he has to buy.

    1) Are these two (2) Firewalls significantly different in terms of the
    protection they offer (leak performance, outbound protection etc.)?
    2) Are they equally light?
    3) Is there any other factor someone has to consider related to
    these two (2) firewalls?
     
    Last edited: Mar 21, 2008
  2. Aerowinder

    Aerowinder Registered Member

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    I would have him install Comodo or OA. I have never used the latter, but it has a good reputation around here.

    I have never used Webroot's firewall. But I used Look 'n' Stop for several months. It is a very solid firewall with unmatched logging capabilities. It is also the lightest firewall I have ever seen. Unfortunately, it's not easy to understand for a novice (built-in rulesets don't cut it in my opinion). And it's leak protection isn't very good. It's a packet filter with a basic app filter. It is very good at it's intended job (packet filtering). I do not recommend this firewall for a novice user. And as far as Webroot's firewall is concerned, I've never heard much about it.

    Because your friend is a "risky" surfer, I would for instance use Comodo with D+. As he is more likely to be on the receiving end of malware and who knows what else, a little leak protection could go a long way.
     
  3. LoneWolf

    LoneWolf Registered Member

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    No expert here but i'll give my opinion anyway. :D
    Look'n'Stop has excellent inbound protection, that combined with a HIPS such as Prosecurity (free or paid) or SSM (free or paid) would provide excellent inbound as well as outbound protection. :thumb:
     
  4. Omnitech

    Omnitech Registered Member

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    First of all, let me thank you for your postings!
    -Do you know if one of these two (2) firewalls has good outbound protection?

    My friend tried OA Free, but it slowed down his Internet speed.
    I set his Firefox to a 'Run Safer' mode (as suggested by many experts).

    He tried Comodo 3, but he can't get well with the many alerts of D+ .

    He has a 3yr-old PC with 2GB of RAM & dial-up adsl at 2Mbps
    and looks for the Best, but Light, Firewall without HIPS.
     
  5. boonie

    boonie Registered Member

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    Unfortunately, if your friend:

    Is a risky surfer
    Does not want to deal with pop ups
    Has little knowledge of securing his PC, and from what you've posted, does not seem to have much desire to learn

    ...his options are limited.

    He might want to stick with a good AV, Windows firewall, and a behavior blocker like Threatfire or Mamatu.

    Is he running as an Admin? With risky surfing and a distaste for pop ups, he should be probably running as a user, possibly with SuRun, if he willing to put in the time to set it up.
     
  6. Aerowinder

    Aerowinder Registered Member

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    I will start by saying this: you need to understand how your security software works. Installing what I feel is a fairly advanced application (LnS) could prove to be a mistake. That is, unless your friend is willing to take the time to learn how it works.

    Look 'n' Stop does not have very good leak protection. Though it does have basic outbound protection. I would say it is mediocre outbound protection. But I emphasize that LnS is a packet filter with a little extra functionality (basic app filter). If you're really into firewalls, and you like making rules, and figuring out how everything works, then I recommend LnS. It's easy, you just need to know how to do it - this is direly important. Having incomplete knowledge in this area could potentially make you vulnerable.

    I stand by my original response, in that he should be using Comodo or OA. If OA slows down his connection, and D+ annoys him, use Comodo with D+ turned off. You gain usability at the cost of a little security.
     
  7. Dark Shadow

    Dark Shadow Registered Member

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    my opinion would be same as boonie and add sandoxie to the browser set up delete automatic sessions within the sandboxie upon browser close.
     
  8. Omnitech

    Omnitech Registered Member

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    1) Yes, I set up Sandboxie with his Firefox and ThreatFire (both free) a few hours ago.
    2) He runs his computer from a 'Limited User' account with Software Restriction Policies, too.

    That's why he wants a Light, but effective, Firewall.

    -Any other ideas/suggestions on what to choose between
    Webroot Desktop Firewall and Look'n'Stop?
    -Is there another Light, but Reliable, firewall he has to try?


    THANK you All!!!
     
  9. Hairy Coo

    Hairy Coo Registered Member

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    Pc Tools Firewall is based on LooknStop and is free.
    Webroot is excellent,but a bit "noisy"with its popups.
    Another great light wall is Filesclab+update
     
  10. mercurie

    mercurie A Friendly Creature

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    Is a risky surfer....but lacks knowledge and expertise.....hmmmm. :blink:

    Not a good combination.

    I think boonie's answer is a good choice. :thumb:
     
  11. Hairy Coo

    Hairy Coo Registered Member

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    Returnil would be simpler.

    To be safer,he should also install an antivirus-like AVG very light and NoScripts in FireFox.
     
    Last edited: Mar 22, 2008
  12. acr1965

    acr1965 Registered Member

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    He may want to try Jetico 1. It is light and free but has several pop-ups. But just give it a fews days and it will settle down. After the rules are set in Jetico 1 (if he has the patience) I think it will prove to be a very reliable firewall. It would also be a good idea to throw on Threatfire.
     
  13. ThunderZ

    ThunderZ Registered Member

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    Totally agree to the addition of a HIPS. FF and Sandboxie is a very good touch as well. Just a FW will never be enough with his surfing habits. Sure it will block drive-byes, but not what he requests by clicking on it when visiting a site.
     
  14. Omnitech

    Omnitech Registered Member

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    1) We tried PC Tools Firewall, but it had a conflict with Sandboxie.
    Is it better than Look'n'Stop?

    2) Jetico 1.0 had many pop-ups.

    3) We will try Filseclab Firewall.

    4) Kerio 2.15 is better than Webroot or Look'n'Stop?

    5) Any other proposal? (apart from OA, Comodo, and Jetico)


    I really appreciate your feedback!!! :thumb: :thumb::thumb:
     
  15. TVH

    TVH Registered Member

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    How about sygate? Its discontinued but is still a very good firewall.
     
  16. pitzelberger

    pitzelberger Registered Member

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    I was running PC Tools Firewall with Sandboxie for some time. Never had any conflicts.
     
  17. LoneWolf

    LoneWolf Registered Member

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    Injoy Firewall is another one.
    Not very popular here on Wilders, although a few members use it.
    I tried it a while back, not for very long as it is an advanced FW and I went back to Look'n'Stop.
    It does have a trial so you may want to take it for a spin.
    Some features.......from their website.......

    IJ FW Features.png

    Another suggestion is that since so many softwares are being tried, if you haven't already I would have some sort of backup plan. Things can go very wrong sometimes. I know from past experience.
    I did like IJ FW but just didn't have the patiance at the time I guess. Maybe another time here.
    I do not know about it's compatiabilty with Sandboxie though.
    I do not recall how light or heavy Injoy is.
     
    Last edited: Mar 22, 2008
  18. Stem

    Stem Firewall Expert

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    It as been mentioned a few times. and I have looked at various version, I even at it as gateway on my setup for a while.

    I did not find any slowdown using this, but the compromise is that it can use a lot of cpu processing, not a problem for normal surfing, but for P2P users, it can then affect other programs running.
    What I have some confusion about with this, is the fact it puts forward as gateway but does not filter ARP.
     
  19. Omnitech

    Omnitech Registered Member

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    Maybe the rest of our programs created the conflict between SB and PC Tools FW.
    We will try once more, because we removed some unnecessary programs.
    My friend needs a lot of work in his PC... Not only this weekend...:D:D:D
    Guys, I am grateful for your help.
    For me, it is a good chance to try other FWs apart from OA, Comodo, and ZA.
    Thanks again! :thumb:
     
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