do u use any firewall ?

[casio]

do u guys use any firewall for your systems ?

I was using Zone Alarm for a while back it was really good had absolute protection of my files. Since, my RAM is a little low at the moment I have no firewalls installed

how about u guys ?

[jl_ss]

Originally Posted by casio

do u guys use any firewall for your systems ?

I was using Zone Alarm for a while back it was really good had absolute protection of my files. Since, my RAM is a little low at the moment I have no firewalls installed

how about u guys ?

I used to use the zone alarm software firewall but compatibility issues prevent it now. Windows has a firewall, some Antivirus programs have a firewall (Norton, etc), and routers usually have a firewall.

If you want to check for vulnerability, go here: Gibson Research and run shieldsUP!!.

[casio]

I never knew about Gibson earlier, is it safe or is another malware installer like we have already too many boasting of a free check up

[jl_ss]

Originally Posted by casio

I never knew about Gibson earlier, is it safe or is another malware installer like we have already too many boasting of a free check up

It's safe. I wouldn't provide a link that wasn't.

[hondacuraplanet]

I run wide open, have for years. I clean up once a week with ad-aware, ccleaner, and malwarebytes.

[cwa107]

It depends on what I'm doing with my machine.

If I suspect a suspicious executable and want to monitor its traffic, I'll install a freeware firewall that can monitor and block outbound traffic. Most of the time, this is not the case.

A lot of people aren't aware, but most modern broadband modems (cable, DSL, Fiber to the premises, etc) have a built in NAT-based firewall. That is, your modem has a public IP address and it serves out private IP addresses to all clients attached. If you're sitting behind that modem, you're already invisible for the most part. If you have a wireless router attached to that modem, you're NATed yet again. So, any inbound port scanning will see your modem, but that's about it.

Now, if you have a laptop and often connect to public hotspots, make sure that at the very least, your Windows firewall (or OS X or Linux) is enabled. That usually is the case by default nowadays, but it doesn't hurt to be proactive.

And even if you don't have a software firewall running, most modern OSes are not going to allow traffic on well known ports. So, unless there is an in-the-wild exploit for your OS and you're sitting on the same public network as a knowledgeable hacker, you're still pretty safe.