Should I really turn my firewall off?

Question

I have my windows firewall and PC tools firewall plus on. I downloaded Zone alarm which ended up being too complicated for me because I blocked myself off of some programs by accident. So I uninstalled it. Pc tools seems like a good firewall but I heard some hackers can still get through it and when I do spyware check there's always something that needs to be erased. Can anybody reccomend a strong, but simple to understand firewall. So I can feel comfortable turning my windows firewall off?

Answer 1

One thing you might want to consider is that spyware is almost always put on your computer by your web browser. This means your firewall has nothing to do with the spyware - since the web-browser is not blocked by the firewall.

Hardware firewalls like those found in most routers are easy to configure and very effective for protecting your network. These days you can find a wired router for around $20 if you look around. They also allow the Internet connection to be shared by other computers. Not for everyone, but it's one option.

Answer 2

There are a number of excellent free firewalls. In fact, in a recent study, many of the free firewalls outperformed commercial firewalls. I have tried a number of firewalls, both free and for pay, and found Sunbelt - Kerio Firewall to be best with a good balance between efficacy and ease of use. It offers 2 modes, a normal mode and an advanced mode. In the normal mode, it makes decisions for you; so, you are not always bombarded with messages to either allow or not to allow an action. The advanced mode gives you greater control of how the firewall works but expect more messages. Sunbelt Kerio comes in 2 versions, the free and paid versions. The paid versions adds ad blocking, cookie filtering, host intrusion detection and some more advanced features. Most people don't need these advanced features since they are found in antivirus and anti spyware programs. However, if you do want to buy it, it only costs $19.95.
Sunbelt Kerio Firewall outperformed most commercial firewalls. Only Comodo Personal Firewall and Jetico Firewall outperformed Sunbelt Kerio. These 2 firewalls are great and, more importantly free. However, they do prompt the user to either allow or not allow an action, which is my I recommend Sunbelt-Kerio. You can find it and many other firewalls at http://www.filehippo.com/software/firewalls/

I don't agree with Scruffy. It is true spyware can be installed on your computer via a drive by download. Basically, you go to a malicious website and it downloads spyware on to your computer without your knowledete. However, once installed, the spyware will try to connect to the Internet to send your personal data to the hacker. The firewall function is to monitor both incoming and outgoing Internet traffic. As a result, a firewall can block spyware from phoning home.

FYI, if you ever want to check to see if your firewall is working, go to http://www.hackerwatch.org/probe/ and click port scan. The website will scan your computer and see how well your firewall hides your presence on the Internet.

Answer 3

Any download attempt that wants you to shut off your firewall should NOT be downloaded. A good example is that Zone alarm you downloaded that blocked you from other stuff. The Windows Defender security program can be downloaded from the security section of Windows Market Place. I have it & it's the only firewall I've ever needed.

Answer 4

A quick answer to your first point: you should NEVER turn off your firewall! It's there to protect you from intrusions from the Internet, and it also checks the programs accessing the Internet from your computer.
The second pont about an easy but effective firewall: Kerio Personal Firewall is one of the best around. I think there's a link to it on this page http://www.mbusbyuk.info/basic_computer_maintenance.html
I think the link is at the top of the page where it says "Firewall Protection".
Good Luck!

Answer 5

Zone Alarm is a very good choice and free.
I think if you want good protection you must learn the basic. Take the time to learn Zone Alarm it worth it.

Windows firewall is easy to bypass.

Answer 6

McAfee Personal Firewall is a good tool.

Answer 7

Whatever one you feel more comfortable with keep that one and delete the other one. Just make sure you have atleast one up.

Also, make sure you have an anti-virus and an anti-spyware program for even more safety. Incase you aren't satisfied with yours or you dont have any here...

http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1


http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx

Answer 8

Now that you have been spotted by yours truely, no security will be able to protect you from my colorful sun-lite brilliance. Too bad that my EyEs happens to be prettier than your own and i just so happen to be a real "aqua" man.