Win 7 firewall fails leak test

[bnwrx]

I ran "Leak Test"(from GRC Research)on windows 7 and it fails. The test penetrated the Windows 7 firewall. How big a threat is this? I have used Zone Alarm and Comodo in the past but was hoping the 7 firewall would be adequate now. Any thoughts?

 

[hackerman1]

hi !

"Leak Test"(from GRC Research)"

what test is that ?
W7´s firewall passes Gibson´s test.
do you mean Comodo´s LeakTest (CLT) ?

i´ve done some tests with CLT on different firewalls, and W7´s firewall has some outbound leaks.
also, are you using an ADMIN or USER-account ?

anyway, Comodo´s firewall is the best, it got 100% at the latest test by Matousec:
Results and comments - www.matousec.com

it can´t be any better, the best firewall is FREE...

 

[bnwrx]

Here is the link:GRC|LeakTest -- Firewall Leakage Tester

Not clear what you are referring to with:"
are you using an ADMIN or USER-account ?"

On my computer I am the ADMIN and sole user.
WhenI ran the this Gibson test on my computer GRC reported it had penetrated the firewall.

 

[Kipper]

Yes, free is nice. Gonna have to try Comodo I guess.

 

[bnwrx]

Thanks hackerman for your response. Took a look at those test results and according to their website under FAQ, they ran those tests on an XP machine. Can we assume similar results when using 7 ?

 

[hackerman1]

Here is the link:GRC|LeakTest -- Firewall Leakage Tester

Not clear what you are referring to with:"
are you using an ADMIN or USER-account ?"

On my computer I am the ADMIN and sole user.
WhenI ran the this Gibson test on my computer GRC reported it had penetrated the firewall.

hi !

now i know what you mean.
yes, Gibson´s LeakTest penetrates W7´s firewall, if you are using an ADMIN-account.

do NOT use an ADMIN-account, you should use a "normal" USER-account instead.
only run your PC as ADMIN when it´s absolutely necessary, fx. when installing new software or doing system maintenance.

running as ADMIN can be very dangerous, because if you get fx. a virus, it then has full access to your PC...

W7´s firewall can be configured to stop outbound leaks, but it requires a lot of manual configuring.

i suggest you use Comodo´s firewall instead !

also, use UserAccountControl (UAC), set it to max.

 

[Barman58]

The windows Firewall supplied with Windows 7 is far superior than the one in XP at it's default settings - and if you have a router based NAT firewall should be adaquate for normal use.

That being said it is not as good as the best firewalls available and as the price of the likes of Comodo are so attractive, and if you can accept the additional interaction that better firewalls demand, this is a better option

 

[hackerman1]

hi !

a WARNING about Comodo, when installing there is a "Toolbar" prechecked (marked), previosly it was "Ask" now it´s "HopSurf", do *NOT* install the "Toolbar" !!!

it´s considered a security risk by experts !
so make sure you uncheck it.

 

[hackerman1]

Thanks hackerman for your response. Took a look at those test results and according to their website under FAQ, they ran those tests on an XP machine. Can we assume similar results when using 7 ?

hi !

i really hope so, because i´m using Comodo myself on W7...

 

[bnwrx]

To clarify I am not running as Admin. I am running as a user. As a side note, I downloaded and installed PC Tools Firewall. It also failed this leak test. I did use Comodo for a while on an XP machine but got tired of all the popups. Even after it learned my machines programs it would popup and I would have to create a new rule for things already approved. It got frustrating, maybe they have improved it in the last couple of years. we'll see. Thanks for any responses

 

[Barman58]

I have conducted various tests on Comodo on Windows 7 and with either External attack or leak tests, have yet to see a less than perfect 100% score .

The only issue I have had is a ping port being open on one test, that I knew about and was there for another testing reason and is normally closed at the router

The report from attempted external access shows that there is nothing present on my IP address - the best way to avoid attach is to not be detected

 

[burtie]

Been using Comodo for a few years now, think its great

 

[jsmoline]

I have done a lot of reading on the leaktest. If something bad gets on your pc, outbound blocking will keep it from calling home. That may be a good thing, but if you have good security, the bad stuff won't get in. By the time your firewall blocks the bad outbound stuff, it's too late. You are already infected. That's my opinion.

 

[hackerman1]

hi !

I have done a lot of reading on the leaktest. If something bad gets on your pc, outbound blocking will keep it from calling home. That may be a good thing, but if you have good security, the bad stuff won't get in. By the time your firewall blocks the bad outbound stuff, it's too late. You are already infected. That's my opinion.

you might have read a lot, but you have missed the point:
yes, if some "bad stuff" gets past your antivirus/antimalware then you are "infected".
but that´s exactly why it´s so important to have a firewall that blocks unwanted OUTGOING connections, so the "bad stuff" can´t "call home" after it has fx. stolen your passwords or other secret information.
if the firewall stops it, then it´s not "too late".

too many firewalls doesn´t block OUTGOING connections, as you can see at fx. Matousec, a lot of BIG names are a long way down on that list.

i have tested some firewalls myself on both Vista & W7, fx. ESET performed so bad that i could not believe the results, i had to run the test again to confirm.
i also tested a few firewalls with the same tests that Matousec uses, the only firewall that passed was Comodo.

 

[malexous]

And my response is: http://www.sevenforums.com/753920-post50.html

 

[jsmoline]

What a great read. I always wondered about GRC leak test. It tells you it's coming and to block it with your firewall when it asks to come in. Wouldn't it be nice if all of the viruses and bad stuff asked your permission before the attack. So after reading the GIZ Richards info, where do we go now for a reliable test?
John

 

[seven2]

accounts

May I please join and ask a question?
I have 2 accounts on both the lap and desktop.
One is called guest and the other is the one we always use which I think is the admin account.
How can I switch between the accounts once I am online?
Obviously I don't know much about this so please bear with my level.
Thank you
Peter

 

[bigcitycat]

To clarify I am not running as Admin. I am running as a user. As a side note, I downloaded and installed PC Tools Firewall. It also failed this leak test. I did use Comodo for a while on an XP machine but got tired of all the popups. Even after it learned my machines programs it would popup and I would have to create a new rule for things already approved. It got frustrating, maybe they have improved it in the last couple of years. we'll see. Thanks for any responses

To clarify, windows seven out of the box is set up to run as admin. If you have not set up a standard user in user account control uac then you are running as admin and you shouldn't do that. If you are the easiest way to fix this is to create a new standard user then change the account type to admin and your usual account to a standard user. http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/507-built-administrator-account-enable-disable.html

 

[bigcitycat]

May I please join and ask a question?
I have 2 accounts on both the lap and desktop.
One is called guest and the other is the one we always use which I think is the admin account.
How can I switch between the accounts once I am online?
Obviously I don't know much about this so please bear with my level.
Thank you
Peter

see above post

 

[seven2]

guest

Thank you for all the information.
Is it true that creating and using a guest account provides better security than using the admin account?
Peter