Do I need another Firewall

[EchoX860]

I checked on my Router site and it said I do have a Firewall built in to it. If I downloaded a Security Suite that comes with a Firewall, Will it interfere?

 

[Lemur]

Use both firewalls. The router-based firewalls only provide protection from computers on the Internet, not from computers on your home network. For example, if a mobile computer or guest computer connects to some other network, becomes infected with a computer worm, and then connects to your home network, your router-based firewall won't be able to prevent the spread of the worm. However, a firewall running on each computer on your network can help control the spread of worms.


However, running more than one firewall program on your computer at the same time could cause conflicts. It's best to just use one firewall program, in addition to a router-based firewall.

 

[Nem]

Well with that router firewall all he would need is to use a good Anti-virus along with Windows firewall.
IMO Suites are horrible.

 

[Lemur]

Well with that router firewall all he would need is to use a good Anti-virus along with Windows firewall.
IMO Suites are horrible.

Agree on the Suite, but he still needs the router firewall enabled.

 

[Nem]

Well with that router firewall all he would need is to use a good Anti-virus along with Windows firewall.
IMO Suites are horrible.

Agree on the Suite, but he still needs the router firewall enabled.

That's what i said, no? Win7firewall + router firewall + good anti-virus = some good ol' solid protection.

 

[Lemur]

Well with that router firewall all he would need is to use a good Anti-virus along with Windows firewall.
IMO Suites are horrible.

Agree on the Suite, but he still needs the router firewall enabled.

That's what i said, no? Win7firewall + router firewall + good anti-virus = some good ol' solid protection.

LOL. You did. My eyes are getting tired ...

 

[JMH]

I checked on my Router site and it said I do have a Firewall built in to it. If I downloaded a Security Suite that comes with a Firewall, Will it interfere?

Hi Echo & welcome,
In answer to your specific question - No ! Everything should run as per normal.

Lemur & Nem have also provided you with good advice re the inbuilt Windows firewall.
Use it as well.

As for Security Suites being good or bad.
That is entirely a matter of personal opinion. A lot of people choose to use them.

Jan.

 

[EchoX860]

Thanks! My girlfriend has Kaspersky Internet Security 2011, and her brother has ESET Smart Security 4, so I was wondering if either of those would interfere with my Router Firewall.

 

[Lemur]

They won't interfere.

 

[dranfu]

No, they won't interfere, and like Lemur mentioned, they complement each other nicely. However, depending on your router, you may have more or less control with the firewall in your PC. For instance, the firewall in my router, while very useful, as it can block traffic at the first point of entry, is just a rudimentary firewall.

My personal firewall, however, is a beast. I can set up complex rules and log all kinds of traffic. So for me, it's a must to have both.

 

[EchoX860]

What is your personal firewall?

 

[dranfu]

Outpost Firewall Pro: The Essential Personal Firewall

 

[EchoX860]

What AV do you use also? I'm currently using kaspersky internet security 2011. I'm running out of time to renew my subscription. So I was thinking of going with ESET Smart Security 4

 

[dranfu]

ESET is great. I personally think International - G Data Software AG is the best. It wins Advanced++ detection consistently on AV-Comparatives - Independent Tests of Anti-Virus Software - Welcome to AV-Comparatives.org

 

[dranfu]

Everyone on here has a different opinion, but for free AV's, I think Avast is darn good. Paid, I will always Choose G-Data.

 

[EchoX860]

Thanks! One thing I was never sure about, what's the difference between Internet Security and Anti-Virus

 

[JMH]

Thanks! One thing I was never sure about, what's the difference between Internet Security and Anti-Virus

This may help you understand -


Anti Virus applications are probably the oldest form of protection from malicious programs. They simply scan for the signature of any known virus. They cannot prevent any virus that is unrecognised. Later on, more advanced features like heuristics were added. Heuristic is a method of monitoring the activities of a specific program and deciding whether it behaves like a virus. It would then alert the user and ask for the best course of action. Though, it might not be 100% accurate, it provides more security compared to the older method.

Internet Security software is not a single program, but is usually composed of more than one application that aims to provide total protection to its user. Still at its core is an Anti Virus program.The other applications in the suite provide more security from the threats that have currently arisen.
Another application that is essential in an internet security suite is a firewall. A firewall restricts other people on the internet from gaining access to your computer or network by refusing connection requests and any other communications from the outside and even from applications that are running on your computer.
There are also applications that can protect you from spyware / malware programs.