Hope you guys can help me: I have a router which is a D-Link DI-524, I wanna know how to set up firewall on the router etc.. so I know I'm protected etc.. Also I have McAFEE firewall and Windows firewall on but my McAFEE firewall subscription has ran out and it is not up to date. Would I be better off using McAFEE firewall + Zonealarm+ Windows firewall for the maximum security? Or should I just use Zonealarm + Windows firewall? If you guys can help me it would be much appreciated. Thanks.
Don't use muliple firewalls. Just enable the windows firewall. It gives enough inbound protection. If you want some control over what apps are connecting to the internet then get ZA free. But don't use both. Just one or the other.
Many feel setting behind a properly configured router with the default password changed is sufficient. For inbound protection it should be. However it offers little to no outbound protection. As far as software FW`s, they are considered somewhat like AV`s. Run only one at a time to prevent possible conflicts and Internet connection problems. I am not familiar with the McAfee FW and played with the native XP FW for only a very short period of time. If you are interested in outbound protection then I am sure a software based one will be suggested\recommended. I use an older Vers. of ZA Pro on my personal tower and laptop which both set behind a router. It offers good outbound protection, is minimally intrusive (very few pop-up questions for permissions). Lite on resources and according to the log files, with the exception of out going traffic, really not needed for other then peace of mind as all unwanted incoming traffic is blocked at the router. Comodo is also highly spoken of on this site as well as a few others. Some will also say that a Hips program combined with a router is more then sufficient protection. In the end it comes down to what you are comfortable with and runs well on your machine.
~removed quote of post above~ Say I wanted to run Zonealarm FW means I have to disable McAFEE FW and Windows FW?
I am not saying you have to. I have read on other Forums, here as well I think, of people running 2 FW`s. However I do know it is not recommended. My suggestion though would be yes, disable any but the single FW you choose to run.
Doofus,as you are using a Windows o/s here is a link that will answer your question. http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/firewall.mspx
The router/firewall comes with a standard configuration. You would need to refer to the router manual if you want to tweak the settings further. One thing I would strongly recommend is that you set a unique password on the router if you haven't already done so. edit: Maybe I interpreted your post incorrectly. Are you more concerned with the router/firewall or a software firewall (McAfee, ZA, etc)?
