firewalls

I just signed up as a user here at wilder security. I was looking for file integrity checking software to go along with my firewall, anti-virus, and spyware software. It seems that this site has compiled quite a collection of tools and such. I just wondered if anyone here has tried Outpost firewall and their opinions on it.
thanks for your input and thanks for accepting me to your forum!

 

Nice to have you here!

With regards to the first part of your initial posting, there are any number of file authentication utilities available. Some are free, some are not. Some are designed for stand-alone PCs and some are designed for Corporate LANs under the control of a centralized LAN Admin. Some only work with Win NT/2K/XP whereas others work also with Win 9X/ME. Some provide remote e-mail notification in the event a modified or new file is found; others do not.

I (or someone else) needs to update the list of these kinds of utilities. I share you inquisitiveness about which one is most appropriate for the various scenarios, as I consider them far more comprehensive than trying to 'stuff' file authentication into a software firewall utility.

I, personally, use Albert Janssen's NIS File Check (which really has nothing to do with AG/NIS/NPF anymore), but I must admit that it's not as robust as what I would like to see. Other popular alternatives include the classical TripWire, Integrity Master, and GFI's SIM. And there must be at least a dozen other candidates for your consideration. There's a long list of features and problems that can be associated with the various products, but we've never gotten around to comprehensively evaluating them.

For example, one product that I really like (except that it's difficult to use) is WinInterrogate, which you can find on SoureForge.

Now, due to the fact that I was involved in the development of NIS File Check, I tried to suck FanJ into doing a comparative analysis of the various products, but he was too wily to fall into that trap!