View Full Version : the best free firewall
Napoleonic
03-02-2005, 06:59 AM
help me, what is the best free firewall out there? except Zone Alarm, because I'm currently use that but feel it is only mediocre.....no manual port blocker
or.... there's no freeware that have option to manually close the ports?
what about sygate (free) personal firewall? is it good? compare to Zone Alarm?
bimmer01
03-02-2005, 08:23 AM
Zone alarm sucks. If you have Windows XP Pro, download Service Pack 2. Its very secure. Also, i would recommend Norton Personal Firewall 2005.
Disposibleteen
03-02-2005, 08:30 AM
Zone alarm sucks. If you have Windows XP Pro, download Service Pack 2. Its very secure. Also, i would recommend Norton Personal Firewall 2005.
can you back up some reasoning on why Zone alarm sucks? I use it and have liked it since day 1. Xp pro with service pack 2 is not very secure, the windows firewall is a joke! Most people use Norton products. This makes them not very secure becuase some worms and malware is written so that it cannot be detected by norton becuase the programmers know that norton is very popular. Why pay $50 for norton when Zone alarm is free and better?
DaveManUK
03-02-2005, 10:31 AM
windows firewall. its fine.
bxa121
03-02-2005, 11:04 AM
sygate personal firewall is pretty good, but there are loads of other free firewalls.
Napoleonic
03-02-2005, 07:58 PM
can you back up some reasoning on why Zone alarm sucks? I use it and have liked it since day 1. Xp pro with service pack 2 is not very secure, the windows firewall is a joke! Most people use Norton products. This makes them not very secure becuase some worms and malware is written so that it cannot be detected by norton becuase the programmers know that norton is very popular. Why pay $50 for norton when Zone alarm is free and better?
I won't say it is suck, but maybe too standard....
I don't trust any norton product anymore because it is suck
hmm maybe I just have to try it :) (sygate), or any recommends?
redgoo
03-02-2005, 11:55 PM
kerio personal firewall - http://www.kerio.com/us/kpf_home.html
2.1.5 is great if you don't like bloat, otherwise 4.x has a free option. sygate is good too.
JDizzle
03-03-2005, 01:51 AM
I've used ZoneAlarm in the past but didn't like it very much so now I currently use Sygate and I think it's alot better.
I did not like ZoneAlarm because....
1. It would disconnect me from aim everytime I joined a CS server.
2. Would not let me connect to IRC using hix.
3. It wasn't very secure, I still got lots of spyware, adaware, etc...
Sygate is nice and simple, I bet it uses less resources than ZoneAlarm too.
Disposibleteen
03-03-2005, 03:37 AM
firewalls wont prevent you from getting spyware/adware, all they do is monitor your ports and close the ones not in use or close all of them except the ones you tell it to leave open.
sllywhtboy
03-03-2005, 07:56 AM
hardware-based firewall with SPI (stateful packet inspection) followed by some free software-based firewall. then you have multi-level protection.
any of the free ones should be fine, including the one built into your OS. stay current on your os & software patches/bugfixes/updates, anti-virus, anti-spyware signatures, and firewall updates, you should be all set. this, along with regular (every 2 wks) scans for virii and adware.
firefox isn't totally safe either. 2 more vulnerablities were released for it.
be cautious. avoid shady sites and enjoy the incredible edible internet.
Disposibleteen
03-03-2005, 08:13 AM
yea but with the patches the one got fixed, as long as you know where you are going on the internet and dont downlaod files at random you should be fine.
Rippthrough
03-03-2005, 10:02 AM
I use sygate, used to have Zone Alarm but kept getting problems, but I also have two different hardware ones too.
shadowing
03-04-2005, 04:54 PM
Zone Alarm. It's the best and been proven in some articles. However, it's all personal reasons.
nebuchanezzar
03-04-2005, 05:09 PM
I like Zone Alarm..it's free and it works. plain and simple
asmodean
03-05-2005, 01:57 AM
You might want to check this (http://www.firewallleaktester.com/tests.htm)
reject
03-05-2005, 02:58 AM
at one poitn i had windows, zonealarm and NV firewall, but NV doesnt work if you oc your board, so now jusst theother 2. works like a charm
Disposibleteen
03-05-2005, 07:16 AM
You might want to check this (http://www.firewallleaktester.com/tests.htm)
lol so according to this test Zone Alarm has the best and windows is a joke just like i said
WesM63
03-05-2005, 11:40 AM
Software firewalls are a joke period. ;) (j/k never liked zone alarm, but it does work well, if you know what your doing)
If you want real protection get a hardware firewall. Cisco PIX 501 with a tweaked access list should do just fine ;)
Napoleonic
03-05-2005, 01:40 PM
well :) I'm not using broadband or/and LAN, HW firewall would be useless:)....right?
Disposibleteen
03-05-2005, 04:29 PM
yea hardware firewalls are good but what if your at a lanparty and someones infected. Your screwed. it doesnt matter if your using dialup, all it does is close ports so it should be the same regardless of what intenet connection you have
Hombre
03-08-2005, 07:13 AM
ZoneAlarm isn't a keeper.
I just moved to Sygate PF and it's faster, safer, takes less sys resources and overall better. Also it let's you to manually configure your ports.
Disposibleteen
03-08-2005, 12:22 PM
as long as zone alarm doesnt take any of my cpu power im fine, i got enough Ram to run anything i want when just browsing.
If you have some old box and 2 networks cards laying around I'd suggest http://www.coyotelinux.com/
It runs from a floppy and I found configuring it easier than any windows FW i've seen. I'm running it on a P133 and it has worked perfectly for me for the past year or so.
sjohnson
03-08-2005, 03:31 PM
Heh - coyote was the first firewall/router I ever ran, almost 6 years ago now. Nice system!
Napoleonic
03-09-2005, 04:44 AM
actually my current setup so far looking good, but if I can get better, it worth to move to another software
currently using : ZA, Antivir personal, Adaware, Spybot, total popup blocking IE configuration with Win XP SP2 :)
[XC]thewildblue
03-09-2005, 05:19 AM
What about a smoothwall firewall setup using an old box and some nics/modem. Download bootable CD and off you go.
I started using coyote because I reinstall every now and then and I have a lot of PCs that are all connected. Perhaps for only one PC a software firewall is better but if you have more than 1 PC hooked up I wouldn't doubt for a sec.
I have no antivirus or popup blockers etc installed on my system. Only thing related I have installed is adaware and I run it every now and then and it doesn't find anything :) If I have some questionable file I scan it using online scanners where I can upload the file. My system stays clean, let the coyote box do all the dirty work :D
illmatik
03-09-2005, 07:28 AM
Smoothwall is nice.. Reminds me a lot of Astaro Security Linux (which is free for home use up to 10 machines I think). Incredibly powerful firewalls w/ more features than you can shake a stick at. I agree, for a hardware solution nothing beats a small PIX. I actually use an 806 vpn router which has an IOS firewall w/ both web and console config methods, but now that I want to have 'higher availability' for work stuff between a dsl and cable modem, I need to use a software solution w/ multiple wan nics. Going to give smoothwall a shot and fall back to astaro if it doesn't work out.
I haven't tested smoothwall because I don't want to have a harddrive in my firewall. My FW is completely silent, or almost. I have one 80mm fan in it at 5V and other than that there's nothing that could produce noise.
Then there's also Freesco, but I haven't tried it either..
sjohnson
03-09-2005, 11:53 AM
Smoothwall is nice.. Reminds me a lot of Astaro Security Linux (which is free for home use up to 10 machines I think). Incredibly powerful firewalls w/ more features than you can shake a stick at. I agree, for a hardware solution nothing beats a small PIX. I actually use an 806 vpn router which has an IOS firewall w/ both web and console config methods, but now that I want to have 'higher availability' for work stuff between a dsl and cable modem, I need to use a software solution w/ multiple wan nics. Going to give smoothwall a shot and fall back to astaro if it doesn't work out.We all have different perspectives on how we want things to work.
OK, with that said, I thought ClarkConnect was far superior to both Smoothwall and Astaro Security. Unless things have changed (they may have :) ) the developer of Smoothwall was an arrogant assh*le and Astaro wasn't focused on home use.
The ClarkConnect product is first rate and their support community are fantastic. I used Clarkconnect for nearly two years and would again in a heartbeat if I had the need. If you hit their forums, say to buddha and Desquinn for me.
illmatik
03-09-2005, 01:42 PM
Wow, just checking ClarkConnect out.. Really nice product, and it looks like it's debian (or at least apt-get supporting) based which is another plus!! Think I might give this a try.
dukeofhmong
03-17-2005, 01:22 PM
Hey guys, I'm the Newbie on the block... i can't offer much... but i just moved to Sygate PF and found it more useful than the XP SP2 Firewall. I'd suggest go with Sygate. Just go <a href="http://smb.sygate.com/download_buy.htm">here</a> and click on the download button. :)
Pr0d1gy
03-18-2005, 08:31 AM
I've found if I don't go to pron sites I rarely have any problems. ;)
Napoleonic
03-29-2005, 01:50 AM
mmmm zone alarm free vs kerio personnal vs sygate personal which is the best?
Dissolved
03-29-2005, 02:26 AM
mmmm zone alarm free vs kerio personnal vs sygate personal which is the best?
just test them out. and pick what u like.
or just save money and buy a hardware wirewall, or use a cheap computer and iptables or something :P
DeltZ
03-31-2005, 07:24 AM
i use Zone Alarm and NOD32...IMON on Nod32 stops adaware etc getting on, and scans the ram etc...while zonealarm stealthes ports and blocks intrusions and gives you decent program control etc etc. combinations works great for me, haven't had a single virus get onto my computer since, retarded scripts on dodgy sites (non :banana::banana::banana::banana: related) don't get a chance ...so Firefox, Zonealarm, NOD32 are my recommendations as security combination
MuskBassist
03-31-2005, 07:55 AM
You might want to check this (http://www.firewallleaktester.com/tests.htm)
(last global update : October 13 2004) :stick:
caLume
03-31-2005, 08:10 AM
i use the "sygate personal firewall"
its free and very good :)
KoolDrew
03-31-2005, 11:42 AM
Kerio v215
kaBuZi
04-01-2005, 06:14 AM
i use the "sygate personal firewall"
its free and very good :)
Second that! ;)
SLaY3r07
04-01-2005, 03:03 PM
Yeah, Sygate is fine for me.
Napoleonic
04-01-2005, 10:12 PM
I downloaded sygate 5.6 free......installed it, but can't work, if I load it, then an error dialog box came
I didn't uninstall my shareware kerio personal firewall4 before I installed the sygate 5.6; probably it caused conflict?
or my SP2 is the problem? I'm using Longhorn transformation pack 9 too
:confused:
Kaosu
04-02-2005, 09:16 AM
I recommend KPF. In my opinion, the most secure software firewall for windows.
illmatik
04-02-2005, 11:45 AM
Kerio has a nice interface and is very easy to get running, but the last couple of times I installed it on standalone machines in a corporate DMZ I found it to consume a bit more CPU than normal. Wondering if there were too many rules for it or if there's some sort of setting to make it use less resources.
ONIONBUD
04-02-2005, 03:17 PM
Kaspersky anti hacker is good too.
KoolDrew
04-02-2005, 03:37 PM
Kerio has a nice interface and is very easy to get running, but the last couple of times I installed it on standalone machines in a corporate DMZ I found it to consume a bit more CPU than normal. Wondering if there were too many rules for it or if there's some sort of setting to make it use less resources.
Use Kerio v215. It uses the least recourses out of any firewall I have ever tried. It also has a very simple UI.
notoriousformula
04-02-2005, 03:41 PM
Sygate Personal OR Smoothwall(need an old computer and two network cards)
wdrzal
04-02-2005, 05:13 PM
That chart only referanced outboud leak test not all aspects of a firewall. I always used sygate with great success,does not use a lot of resources either
Napoleonic
04-05-2005, 05:17 AM
sygate 5.6 refused to works in my comp, the installation is fine but after restart and (everytime) load it, then that damn suck Microsoft popup appear, anyone knows? I'm using SP2 + Longhorn TP 9
desquinn
10-04-2005, 09:55 AM
We all have different perspectives on how we want things to work.
OK, with that said, I thought ClarkConnect was far superior to both Smoothwall and Astaro Security. Unless things have changed (they may have :) ) the developer of Smoothwall was an arrogant assh*le and Astaro wasn't focused on home use.
The ClarkConnect product is first rate and their support community are fantastic. I used Clarkconnect for nearly two years and would again in a heartbeat if I had the need. If you hit their forums, say to buddha and Desquinn for me.
Hey sjohnson, someone from the clarkconnect forums just told me that you were hanging out here and that you had gave a mention. Just thought I would drop in and see how you were doing. You really should pop in at the cc forums every now and then cause we miss you :)
On the subject of the post though I am clearly biased towards the clarkconnect distro as it offers a lot more than just a firewall or vpn end point. It can carry out nearly all the same tasks as a MS small business server install can as well as being offered in a stripped down format similar to smoothwall.
Anybody with the spare low end kit would bw worthwhile giving it a whirl.
Kobalt
10-05-2005, 05:53 PM
Is there a way to block specific web addresses where I keep getting popups from?
[XC]thewildblue
10-05-2005, 10:28 PM
Yes just edit your hosts file, c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts
Enter 127.0.0.1 for each website address that you want to block. The popups will still appear ut will be blank. Your best bet is a popup blocker or even do a system check for spyware.
Kobalt
10-06-2005, 02:19 AM
The moment I go back into firefox after cleaning spyware I get loads of it again. This is on a clean reformat, so no virus's or any complex spyware. Why do I keep getting pop-ups through firefox???!
Disposibleteen
10-06-2005, 04:02 PM
Do you reboot your PC between cleaning and running the fox again? You should always reboot after a spyware cleanout.
Kobalt
10-06-2005, 05:57 PM
Regardless, I keep getting the same spyware and pop-ups even after a clean install that I performed this week. Is there no way to block a specific web address from a firewall so the popup doesnt even pop-up?
Buddha
10-07-2005, 02:30 PM
The ClarkConnect product is first rate and their support community are fantastic. I used Clarkconnect for nearly two years and would again in a heartbeat if I had the need. If you hit their forums, say to buddha and Desquinn for me.
No one came to say 'Hi' (yet), but we tracked you down nonetheless (thanx to Gedeco :D). Plus you know I werk for the gubment so it was only a matter of time. Someone registered as 'sjohnson2' over in the CC forums BTW. I asked that person if they were you thinking that maybe you forgot your password or something, but it some n00b. :)
My, my, we have been busy...3,000+ posts in this forum? :D
CC has improved alot sinmce you last "Hung out" in the CC forums. I'm now an admin/mod over there and help out somewhat (for free...what was I thinking! :) ). Do you still use it? If not, whatcha using now?
BTW: I agree...little chocolate donuts ARE great for breakfast!
sjohnson
10-10-2005, 03:12 PM
Buddha! Are they still rubbin' your belly for luck before heading out? Still in Alaska?
I've lurked at the CC forums, things sure have changed, very content-rich now and it looks like the same great bunch of people.
I'm using a simple HW router ATM since I have little room for a real machine. While I've tried and tried to sell folks where I work on using a stateful machine, they all tend to want the SonicWall type of defense. I keep trying, someday I'll succeed.
Good to hear from you. Say hi to Peter, Desquinn, etc.