Do you use a firewall?

[Baldrick]

Kerio Personal Firewall 2.15

[gitreel]

hardware firewall

[tompika]

The last one

Fire the bastard

[bottle-necked]

ZoneAlarm here.

[haloblack]

Hardware (DLink 604).

I finally played around a bit with ZoneAlarm though, and I really liked all the info it gave me. (Including the fact that something on my system called d3d16.exe wanted to act as a server. Direct3D is a server? Still haven't found out what that is!) Anyone see the point in running a hardware firewall and software, or is it just useful from an informational pov?

[lordsmurf]

Some of us give hackers both middle fingers .... 8)

I've got both hardware and software.

[DeleriumMDK]

I use the built in firewall on my Linksys BESFR41 V3 router. Its a bit of a pain having to switch ports if a friend has to send me something but...well worth the hassle as Ive avoided all of these worms that have gone around.

[hech54]

I have never run a firewall and still have never had a virus or worm....just the occasional spyware crap.

[Cobra]

I'm behind the big University firewall, but that doesn't protect me internally so I have ZoneAlarm and Windows XP Integrated firewall both active, and ZoneAlarm is set to "Stealth mode" for both internal and Internet communications. Then I have Norton AntiVirus 2003 with Bloodhound and all protection maxed out. Finally, all my sensitive data is under strong encryption (Triple-DES, IDEA and Blowfish).

They're still watching me.....

Cobra

[Capmaster]

Sygate Personal Firewall at home. We have a true hardware firewall at work.

[handyguy]

My ISP has one, but that wasn't a poll option.

[gitreel]

hech54, that is not only dangerous, but also irresponsible. Don't come crying to us when your computer gets trashed. With all of the xp/2000/nt worms out on the loose including the latest one, you really need both updated antivirus plus firewall. I wouldn't want you anywhere near my two computers. I am anal about protection and keeping my programs updated.

[marvel2020]

Norton Here

[gitreel]

marvel, wtf is up with your bold shouting sig?

[Sam Ontario]

3 machines running Norton firewall and one machine running ZoneAlarm.

[indolikaa]

Sygate PRO.

[hootie29]

ZoneAlarm installed on my computers and on my Linksys router.

hootie29

[fritzi93]

XP firewall and Zone Alarm. Have used Sygate as well. Both Zone Alarm and Sygate have been satisfactory and free versions are available.

[GKar]

Kerio 2.1.5
3COM Gateway Router

You should add a Hardware/Software Firewall combo to your poll.

[hech54]

hech54, that is not only dangerous, but also irresponsible. Don't come crying to us when your computer gets trashed. With all of the xp/2000/nt worms out on the loose including the latest one, you really need both updated antivirus plus firewall. I wouldn't want you anywhere near my two computers. I am anal about protection and keeping my programs updated.

Actually....me coming along and unplugging and or deactivating your firewall without your consent would be irresponsible.

When I can't figure out how to run some DVD software....I'll stop here and search then ask someone.....but I won't be crying to anyone.
Besides....how could I actually GET HERE to cry for help if my computer has a worm?
Use your head man...

[gitreel]

I do, and you do need a firewall. That is common sense. I do more than mess with video. I also build, repair, and troubleshoot computers. I would not even go to windows update without a firewall. Having a worm and then passing it onto someone else because you refuse to have a firewall is irresponsible in the broadband age. Why don't you use your head. I have seen and repaired many computers that were infected by blaster so wtf are you talking about?

[RDS1955]

I use Zone Alarm and Norton on mine....My office has a barbed wire fence with an armed guard tower overlooking the computer....Spectre Gunships fly over constantly, with two Hobbits armed with grenade launchers standing at the front entrance to my home....(Better than guard dogs..just gotta feed em cabbage and potatoes alot...)...Paranoid?!?!?, who's Paranoid....

[gitreel]

hope they never fall asleep or you are in trouble

[redwudz]

D-Link 704 hardware firewall/router on a cable modem. Wouldn't surf without it, along with Norton AV and Spybot S&D.

[Rookie64]

ZoneAlarm Pro and Norton...and I'd never go online without a firewall running again after I've seen how often attacks are attempted on this computer.


I don't use the other computers I have for the Internet...so no firewalls installed on those.

[gitreel]

this is all the more reason to have a firewall

-New Virus Snarls Thousands of Computers


Email this Story

May 3, 3:35 PM (ET)

By ANICK JESDANUN

NEW YORK (AP) - A pesky computer worm snarled hundreds of thousands of machines worldwide Monday in the latest virus-like outbreak to take advantage of a known flaw with the Windows operating system.

Because the new worm, dubbed "Sasser," does not require users to click on an e-mail attachment to activate, it spreads more rapidly than most viruses. It was discovered late Friday and spread as employees returned to work and booted their machines.

The worm caused some computers to continually crash and reboot, apparently the result of bad programming by the virus writer rather than intent, security experts said. Sasser does not cause any permanent damage to files or machines, they added.

Among victims were large companies in Germany, Britain and the United States that are clients of Network Associates Inc. (NET), said Vincent Gullotto, a vice president at the company's anti-virus research lab. He would not name the companies.


A large television network in Europe also was hit, two security sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity and refusing to elaborate.

Finland's third largest bank, Sampo, closed 120 of its offices for a few hours as a precaution Monday while technicians updated anti-virus programs. E-banking services and the bank's automated teller machines worked normally.

Keynote Systems Inc. (KEYN), which tracks Internet performance, reported no traffic degradation, but security experts say some users could experience slowdowns if machines running Web sites or key Internet gateways are infected.

Though Microsoft Corp. announced three weeks ago the flaw that Sasser exploits - it's a Windows function called Local Security Authority Subsystem Service - many computer owners had yet to apply the software fix the company had released.

Once Sasser infects a computer, it automatically scans the Internet for other computers with the flaw and sends a copy of itself there.

David Perry, director of public education with security vendor Trend Micro, said Sasser continues a trend in which virus writers take advantage of announced flaws more and more rapidly.

In the past, he said, it would take months or even years to widely exploit a vulnerability - not the weeks it took writers of Sasser.

Microsoft recommended that owners of Windows 2000 and XP computers install software patches by visiting . Firewall and anti-virus programs that have the latest updates can also help contain or prevent infection. Sasser does not affect older versions of Windows.http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com

The Web sites of anti-virus vendors have instructions for removing the worm from machines already infected.

Security experts said the Sasser worm was spreading rapidly, but it still was not as widespread as last summer's Blaster outbreak, which infected millions of computers.

They said network operators have gotten more diligent about properly applying the necessary security fixes, and many used the weekend to complete updates before employees arrived.

Some Internet service providers also were able to filter out traffic generated by the worm.

"It looks like many big companies learned the lesson already," said Mikael Albrecht, a product manager with F-Secure Corp. in Finland. "But there are companies, and even large corporations, that did not patch the system, and they have been hit pretty bad."

Stephen Toulouse, a security program manager at Microsoft, said four times as many computer owners downloaded the latest patches as they had for fixes before last fall. He said the company recorded more than 150 million successful downloads before the weekend's outbreak.

Toulouse said the company has been working with the Northwest Cybercrime Task

[pacmania_2001]

Kerio is my firewall.

Shits all over Zone Alarm and Norton which were more trouble than they were worth.

[kazik1]

Hardware. D-Link 604. No hacker got me so far.

[andkiich]

Both hardware and software

[triphop]

Packard Bell P100 with LEAF / Bering and two network cards.

Its basically Linux that fits on a 1.44MB floppy disk. The firewall software is configured using Shorewall and IP tables. I have tried a number of them including the DLink 604 and Linksys BEFRS41. This is the most configurable setup but it does require some work to get it going. I filter both inboard (drop almost everything except HTTP and SMTP) and outbound. Just to make sure that naughty programs don't "phone home"...

http://leaf.sourceforge.net/
http://www.shorewall.net/