Do I Really need a FIREWALL?

[Sunimar]

Hi friends,

Merry Christmas to all! I'm thinking all of a sudden if 1 really need a firewall? If my browsing is very limited, If I have AV in place with latest update, doesn't linger in the unknown & dark corners of WWW, Do I still need A FIREWALL? :sarc:

P.S. I have been using Comodo Firewall since its launch in 2005.

 

[bobafetthotmail]

Windows 7 has its own firewall, and to the contrary of XP's firewall it is actually useful.

The point of a firewall is keeping doors closed so stuff does not get in. An AV kills what is already inside.

The best defences are always layered, each layer independent of the other.

Do you need a firewall? Maybe not. But you should be asking yourself: can I afford the increase of risk for little or no benefit? (as win7's firewall is not particularly heavy on resources like XP's firewall was)
It would be foolish imho.

 

[Sunimar]

Windows 7 has its own firewall, and to the contrary of XP's firewall it is actually useful.

The point of a firewall is keeping doors closed so stuff does not get in. An AV kills what is already inside.

The best defenses are always layered, each layer independent of the other.

Do you need a firewall? Maybe not. But you should be asking yourself: can I afford the increase of risk for little or no benefit? (as win7's firewall is not particularly heavy on resources like XP's firewall was)
It would be foolish imho.

Thank you for the above info. @bobafetthotmail. I never had an virus/Trojan attack or PC hacked in the last 10 years. Even though I have been using Comodo since its Day 1. It has been a really satisfactory journey. But I 'm thinking of dumping the idea of using a firewall at all.

Are not firewalls known to give away your own information?? Some giving certificates to Malwares etc.

Here is an example:
http://www.ashimmy.com/2012/03/security-myth-debunked.html

 

[indianacarnie]

I wouldn't go anywhere on the net without one. Your choice I guess, but why take the chance? As bobafetthotmail said 7's firewall is very good. I haven't used a 3rd party one since installing it.

 

[Sunimar]

I wouldn't go anywhere on the net without one. Your choice I guess, but why take the chance? As bobafetthotmail said 7's firewall is very good. I haven't used a 3rd party one since installing it.

Hmmm may be! I'm not too sure about Windows 7 Firewall. XP firewall was really good though it was heavy on resources.

But here is myth buster on Firewalls:

http://www.brighthub.com/computing/enterprise-security/articles/8257.aspx

 

[indianacarnie]

Didn't see anything to change my mind. Knew all that and nothing in life is "perfect". (except maybe Jennifer Anison )

But look at it this way...... if you were going into a war zone wouldn't you like to have all the protection you could get?

 

[Layback Bear]

Sunimar if you want to believe in the stories not to use a firewall, thats fine. Its your computer. If you are one of those lucky ones that will never need one that is also okay.
If you are looking for a quality free firewall the one built into Windows 7 works well for millions of people all over the world and might be what you are looking for.
If you are looking just to argue the point, well,
Have a nice day

 

[gregrocker]

Win7 Firewall is perfected, should be kept up to date with Windows Updates set to Automatic. It works best in tandem with http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/

Any 3rd party Firewall (or AV) will almost always slow down Win7 by comparison. Why do this to the first perfect OS?

All that said, I do not run an AV on my home PC with superior router firewall and Win7 firewall engaged, and I have never been infected. But when friends try this they do sometimes get infected. And with no speed difference to run all three, there's no reason to shy away from the extra protection.

 

[logicearth]

Are you behind a router? A router has its own built in firewall already setup to block all non-internet routable protocols like Windows File Sharing. As well as uninvited inbound connections.

 

[bobafetthotmail]

But here is myth buster on Firewalls:

gotta be kidding me.

1. no duh! Btw, hardware firewalls inside a router are generally better and consume 0% system resources (as they are in another device).

2. Kinda obvious. Firewalls filter traffic passing through them, whatever traffic does not pass through them... they do nothing about.

3. this repeats the same point as 2.

4. Obvious. But this does not mean that older threats aren't as real as new ones, and a firewall can keep them at bay with less effort than a AV. (that anyway can destroy only known threats as well). Not to mention that good firewalls based on whitelists (like win 7's) do a decent job at keeping unknown stuff a bay (as they deny access to all stuff they don't know) while AVs do nothing unless they kinda know the threat.

5. correct, note the last line: "Most businesses use a firewall in tandem with a robust anti-virus package for the best possible use."

 

[King Arthur]

While the effectiveness of software firewalls is up for debate (I personally like Windows Firewall included in X, Vista, and 7!), a hardware firewall is a must. Even something like a $20 bucks super cheap router that might just fall apart in the next ten minutes will give you superb protection with its hardware firewall.

 

[Alejandro85]

Maybe you don't "need" one, but sure you'll "want" to have one around. It's just an additional layer of protection between the computer and the outside world, like an antivirus tries to protect from known malware a firewall monitors connections and drops those that aren't supposed to happen.

If you have a NAT router (most likely you have one of some sort) you already have a strong protection from it, as it blocks all incoming connections from internet (but not from local network though). Software based firewall are best for handling outgoing connections, as they can filter by more criteria and allow only specific programs past it.
The built-in Windows 7 is nice, but lacks some features that make third party alternatives a best choice. I'm using it and already want to try something else.

 

[maxie]

Prevention is better than cure I think.

 

[Chilidawg]

We have the built-in firewall on our home router, but many times my laptop travels with me. Even though I'm cautious. when on public networks I rely on an up-to-date firewall and MSE. I've had very, very few problems with this installation of W7, even though it's been in use for 18+ months.

 

[3D Jed]

The Windows 7 firewall default settings just block inbound. Setting up outward control is a bit tricky, so most people don't bother. I use a free program from Sphinx that makes controlling outbound settings on the Windows firewall easy. Just like Zone Alarm etc, you have to click yes/no the first time you use IE or whatever, but once setup its ok.

: Sphinx Software

 

[M1GU31]

It all depends on the user,if you believe you don't need it then don't use it. I myself am a comodo firewall user and that works great even though I think other wise. I have a friend who is more techy then I am overall but refuses to use a AV because he believes he can do fine without it. He got infected about 4 months ago. He dug into the registry himself and removed it,he said he tried malwarebytes and a free av and they couldn't remove it but he was able to disable it then delete it himself. Then he did a quick scan anyways to make sure and he says his machine is fine.

Anyways what i'm trying to say is that everyone has their own ideas and can choose what to do with their machine. So all and all I would say it is better to have some type of firewall but you can choose not to use on and that would be just fine just like my friend choose not to have a anti virus and still hesitant to get off xp even though he has 7 on a partition installed,very end user.

 

[gregrocker]

In my opinion we should not be advising others that running without a firewall or AV is okay.

The best practice would be to keep Windows Firewall turned on and fully updated, with at minimum Microsoft Security Essentials.

Since these work nearly perfectly and block most trouble without interfering with performance in the slightest, why not?

 

[Borg 386]

Look at it this way, you're going onto the net...where there are large amounts of files just waiting to get into your PC, do some damage & try to compromise your personal data, as well as invite others in to play. No doubt about it, the net is a hostile environment chock full of threats. And it's getting worse every day, new variants of viruses/malware are released every day, sometimes every hour. You'd best suit up with all the preventative measures you can find.

Consider a firewall a part of the other safety measures you employ, leaving one less opening in your defenses.

 

[Sunimar]

Win7 Firewall is perfected, should be kept up to date with Windows Updates set to Automatic. It works best in tandem with Microsoft Security Essentials - Microsoft Windows

Any 3rd party Firewall (or AV) will almost always slow down Win7 by comparison. Why do this to the first perfect OS?

All that said, I do not run an AV on my home PC with superior router firewall and Win7 firewall engaged, and I have never been infected. But when friends try this they do sometimes get infected. And with no speed difference to run all three, there's no reason to shy away from the extra protection.

Thanks Greg for your input and do agree with you. Just want to know if I need to update my Windows FIREWALL as well?

 

[Sunimar]

It all depends on the user,if you believe you don't need it then don't use it. I myself am a comodo firewall user and that works great even though I think other wise. I have a friend who is more techy then I am overall but refuses to use a AV because he believes he can do fine without it. He got infected about 4 months ago. He dug into the registry himself and removed it,he said he tried malwarebytes and a free av and they couldn't remove it but he was able to disable it then delete it himself. Then he did a quick scan anyways to make sure and he says his machine is fine.

Anyways what i'm trying to say is that everyone has their own ideas and can choose what to do with their machine. So all and all I would say it is better to have some type of firewall but you can choose not to use on and that would be just fine just like my friend choose not to have a anti virus and still hesitant to get off xp even though he has 7 on a partition installed,very end user.

I did the same just like your friend when my last PC got infected because of my friend [he was using my laptop to check onto his emails], I have dig into the registry to find the "bug". As i said earlier even I have been using Comodo since 2005 but was just thinking off lately if I should try Windows Firewall over Comodo. :sarc: