The Best Security/Cleaners For XP Service Pack 2

[+theblazingangel MVC]

^ possibly not, but theres no 100% garanty. your anti-malware software will stop all known malware, and winpatrol will prevent system changes from the unknown, but theres nothing to stop an outward bound connection from the unknown.

a hardware firewall coupled with anti-malware software including winpatrol is a good set of layered defence and severly reduces your chances of a compromised machine, but i still maintain that its not as effective as adding in a software firewall to garanty nothing can establish a connection unless you permit it.

[Non Stop]

That is true. You may download something that hasn't been registered as malware, but comes with a dozen things trying to connect to your internet, and you may not know about it.

[Syphonic]

if you were infected with a new form of malware, or ran software that unknowingly was programmed or modified to create a malicious connection, your hardware firewall and anti-malware software will just sit there and do nothing.

a software firewall would imediately intercept and block the connection.

In my experience it's the total opposite of that..

A new trojan could easily be programmed to get around a software firewall or even disable it...it can't get around a hardware firewall which is limiting ports.

This happened recently to me, something I'd downloaded was trying to phone home but the hardware firewall saw it was trying to use a port I'd set as blocked and so it didn't allow the connection.

[+theblazingangel MVC]

^ yes, there are ways to get around software firewalls, and where such methods are used a software firewall isnt going to be much use, but yet ports and traffic that your hardware firewall allows through are used, then your hardware firewall isn't going to help either.

a lot of stuff can be protected against without a software firewall, and some stuff can get through even with one, but you should still have one to block what it can.

essentially you havent experienced the oposite, you were just lucky your layered defences caught it.

Edited November 25, 2005 by TheBlazingAngel

[Slimy]

^ possibly not, but theres no 100% garanty. your anti-malware software will stop all known malware, and winpatrol will prevent system changes from the unknown, but theres nothing to stop an outward bound connection from the unknown.

586851698[/snapback]

There is no 100% guarranty for anything but a firewall still doesn't help. If I don't get the malware in the first place, because winpatrol disables it from doing anything, then it CANNOT RUN and it CANNOT SEND outward bound connections. You download and run file x. It ATTEMPTS to add itself to startup, ATTEMPTS to add itself as a bho in your browser and ATTEMPTS to change associations with all your file types. Winpatrol prompts you for every change and you say no. It tells you were the file is located. Since it ISN'T RUNNING because winpatrol did not let it, even after you restarted it did not start with windows, you can fire up explorer and delete it manually. Bye bye file x. Even if you can't delete it, you use a typical spyware remover (ex. ms antispyware) to remove it, and it works flawlessly because it's not running, not starting up, didn't make any changes to your computer.

I haven't gotten a virus/spyware etc. ever since I started using winpatrol. I haven't used a software firewall because they are completely redundant and just waste resources. Winpatrol on the other hand is a must-have. And it's free. No, I don't work for them: I just know when I see good software.

http://www.winpatrol.com/

Edited November 26, 2005 by slimy

[zheng.93]

Excellent Guide (Y)

[dyn]

can i just point out that home hardware firewalls (inc. routers) should not be used as a replacement for a software firewall. corporate built ones with fully fledged ACL's (access control lists) might be a different matter, im not sure.

Wrong. There are no hardware firewalls. What everybody means with the term "hardware firewall" is actually a dedicated firewall. Hardware needs software to run in harmony and to make it controllable. If you want to control such a firewall you need to log into it and configure it using a webinterface, a management tool, etc.

Routers are also something completely different.

The "router" device people have at home to share their internet connection is a combination of devices: NAT, router, firewall.

It has a very simple basic firewall that is rule based. The rules you create only control what kind of packets are allowed and which aren't. They can only control ports and ip-addresses (deny certain clients in the network access to certain ports and/or ip-addresses, or do port forwarding/mapping, etc.).

hardware firewalls can be extremely good at filtering and blocking unwanted network traffic. however, you cant control what software on your computer can establish network connections.

this means, if you get infected with a trojan, there is nothing to stop it phoning home and establishing a connection to the cracker who created it, providing direct access right through your hardware firewall into your computer.

A software firewall can do the same. There are different types of firewalls. Some can only do packet filtering, others are a bit more intelligent and can do application filtering. Those firewalls can either be software or "hardware" (=dedicated firewall).

Besides that, there are lots of dedicated firewalls that provide software for clients in a network so the dedicated firewall can control all those clients e.g. push updates and policies to the clients and thus fully control what software on a client computer can establish a network connection.

I don't think I have to mention that these kind of firewalls are used in corporate situations and are not in those devices with which you can share your internet connection.

So if you are a home user with a device that enables you to share your internet connection which also has a basic firewall then get a firewall on you clients as well.

Because the firewall in the device only controls ports and ip-addresses and does not work on an application level (which most modern personal firewall do).

You then also have a firewall behind a firewall, so there is a second ring someone needs to break through.

[Non Stop]

Excellent Guide

Cheers, but you may want to sort out your signature.

[Von_Beard]

handy list thanks :D

[wize_guy123]

You should definately add "System Mechanic" on there.. :D

[Fighter-X]

Software firewall sucks because it takes up resources. Get a router. That combined with windows firewall (usually not necessary if behind a router and in a small/home network of computers ) should be sufficient.

Software firewalls so do not suck. Mine takes up 6k for memory and its highest is 8k, that's so little. Sure a hardware firewall is good, but why not have a software and hardware one? Windows firewall doesn't compare well to sygate, agnitum, or kerio.

BTW I tried ewido and its very good! It grabbed an svchost.exe backdoor. And 2 wildtangent spyware. Using a quickscan.

[Yochanan]

What firewall uses 6 - 8k? Please enlighten us.

[Non Stop]

BTW I tried ewido and its very good! It grabbed an svchost.exe backdoor. And 2 wildtangent spyware. Using a quickscan.

Do a full scan and see what it picks up, its an amazing program, and when the guard expires just hit O.K, you've still got the scanner. Here's a review a guy I know did:

http://www.lunarsoft.net/index.php?ind=rev...try_view&iden=4

[Slimy]

Ewido isn't really that good, it took a total of 20 minutes to scan my computer and only turned up with only 8 false positives and 5 cookies that I deleted with ccleaner anyways, no actual threats. It did however install a service set on disabled(wtf?) and a bho. Definitely not worth any money.

[byte]

Here is an excellent way to setup outpost to be very secure IMHO.

[CrisCr0ss]

ewido sucks IMO i like spybot you fully forgot to mention spyware blaster, unless i missed something, winpatrol is also nice. I think Regsupreme is a superb piece of software for what it does.. also tune up

as for the firewall/antivirus i like my combo of sygate+nod32

[TriggerHappySam]

Thanks for the list of software and comments about some. Been looking for something like this

[srb]

the best anti virus,in my opinion,is NOD32...

free - avast home

:whistle:

[Slimy]

the best anti virus,in my opinion,is NOD32...

free - avast home

:whistle:

very true :yes: although if I were to pay i'd have a tought choice choosing between nod32 and symantec corp 10

[Non Stop]

Thanks for the list of software and comments about some. Been looking for something like this/

If you're talking about me - thanks.

Ewido isn't really that good, it took a total of 20 minutes to scan my computer and only turned up with only 8 false positives and 5 cookies that I deleted with ccleaner anyways, no actual threats. It did however install a service set on disabled(wtf?) and a bho. Definitely not worth any money.

Its free, just the shield expires after a period of time. I just unticked the options to do auto-update and shield when I installed it - which is why I called it an On-Demand scanner.

ewido sucks IMO i like spybot you fully forgot to mention spyware blaster, unless i missed something, winpatrol is also nice. I think Regsupreme is a superb piece of software for what it does.. also tune up

as for the firewall/antivirus i like my combo of sygate+nod32

Ewido is amazing - On Demand. I use the alternative of Arovax Shield rather than Spyware Blaster - take a look at it, uses next to nothing on system resources.

[runningking7]

Hey, I just downloaded and ran CCcleaner, and it's awsome. Thanks.

Just ran RegSeeker, and it's amazing. Thanks again.

[Fighter-X]

What firewall uses 6 - 8k? Please enlighten us.

Heres an ss. Also Ewido full scan may take a little long, but it gets the job done. I use quickscan and memory scan. If things keep appearing in the memory, I use full scan. I haven't had anything yet ever since I got rid of those Worm.Rays.

Edited December 18, 2005 by Fighter-X

[Slimy]

Isn't the sygate firewall officially discontinued?

[Fighter-X]

Isn't the sygate firewall officially discontinued?

sadly yes :(

[runningking7]

Isn't the sygate firewall officially discontinued?

Yes, but it was one of the very best :(