Which Firewall do You Use?

Kex
Kex Posts: 5,157
edited January 2010 in The Clubhouse
Okay guys 'n' gals, subsequent to this thread about which anti-virus everyone uses:

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=95061&highlight=Virus,

posted by the revered Lasareath of New Jersey fame, I'd like to ask about your firewall strategies.

1) Do you use a hardware firewall only (on your modem/router)?
2) Do you only use a software firewall, installed on each computer in the home?
3) Do you use both a hardware and a software firewall?
4) Which firewall uses the least resources for older computers?

Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions?

Oh, and you Linux/Macintosh smart a$$es, don't bother to remind us all that you don't need one.
Alea jacta est!
Post edited by Kex on
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Comments

  • audiobliss
    audiobliss Posts: 12,518
    edited January 2010
    I don't need....oh, wait...what?

    :D

    I don't use a firewall, so can't help you there. I'm stuck behind my university's firewall anyways.
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  • ryanjoachim
    ryanjoachim Posts: 2,046
    edited January 2010
    I use the one built in to my router. Technically speaking, if you have a router, you have a firewall. Adding a software firewall can/will cause "hiccups" every now and then (or all the time, depending on Window's mood) if the router firewall is left enabled.

    And also, don't buy into the hype of fanboi's who say "macs are so secure they don't need virus scans/firewalls!!!!". It's a bunch of bs.

    Linux is much more secure than most any OS, but even it has flaws and such.
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  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited January 2010
    I use both because I'm extremely paranoid and afraid of the outside world.
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  • Serendipity
    Serendipity Posts: 6,975
    edited January 2010
    Nothing as of right now.
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  • inspiredsports
    inspiredsports Posts: 5,501
    edited January 2010
    --- Netgear ProSafe Hardware Router Firewall
    --- Norton Internet Security 2010 Virus Scan/Anti-Spyware/Software Firewall on all 7 client machines
    --- PC Tools Spyware Doctor with Antivirus 2010 on all 7 client machines

    Yes, a hardware AND software firewall and TWO antivirus and TWO spyware programs running 24/7.
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  • I-SIG
    I-SIG Posts: 2,238
    edited January 2010
    inspiredsports wrote: »
    --- Netgear ProSafe Hardware Router Firewall
    --- Norton Internet Security 2010 Virus Scan/Anti-Spyware/Software Firewall on all 7 client machines
    --- PC Tools Spyware Doctor with Antivirus 2010 on all 7 client machines

    Yes, a hardware AND software firewall and TWO antivirus and TWO spyware programs running 24/7.

    Do you need a liquid-cooled processor and MB to keep it all running? :p

    Wes
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  • inspiredsports
    inspiredsports Posts: 5,501
    edited January 2010
    I-SIG wrote: »
    Do you need a liquid-cooled processor and MB to keep it all running? :p

    Wes

    It is cold in the basement where the cable modem and Netgear router are located. :D

    Seriously, everything just very quietly does its job. The software programs are set to update at 2AM and then scan at 2:20AM and 4:30AM respectively.

    My wife and I and 4 teens are online a lot and we have not had (KNOCK ON WOOD), any significant problems for many, many years. Overlapping 2 defensive software programs does require quite a bit of horsepower so a reasonably fast dual processor and ample RAM is recommended.
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  • Systems
    Systems Posts: 14,873
    edited January 2010
    Am using the Belkin Pre-n, running Windows 7 and am using Windows Firewall.

    Heres a scan from GRC:

    Your Internet port 139 does not appear to exist!
    One or more ports on this system are operating in FULL STEALTH MODE! Standard Internet behavior requires port connection attempts to be answered with a success or refusal response. Therefore, only an attempt to connect to a nonexistent computer results in no response of either kind. But YOUR computer has DELIBERATELY CHOSEN NOT TO RESPOND (that's very cool!) which represents advanced computer and port stealthing capabilities. A machine configured in this fashion is well hardened to Internet NetBIOS attack and intrusion.

    Unable to connect with NetBIOS to your computer.
    All attempts to get any information from your computer have FAILED. (This is very uncommon for a Windows networking-based PC.) Relative to vulnerabilities from Windows networking, this computer appears to be VERY SECURE since it is NOT exposing ANY of its internal NetBIOS networking protocol over the Internet.


    Your system has achieved a perfect "TruStealth" rating. Not a single packet — solicited or otherwise — was received from your system as a result of our security probing tests. Your system ignored and refused to reply to repeated Pings (ICMP Echo Requests). From the standpoint of the passing probes of any hacker, this machine does not exist on the Internet. Some questionable personal security systems expose their users by attempting to "counter-probe the prober", thus revealing themselves. But your system wisely remained silent in every way. Very nice.
    Testing
    Testing
    Testing
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  • quadzilla
    quadzilla Posts: 1,543
    edited January 2010
    Check Point Firewall-1 R70.2 on a Dell 1750 and a Snort inline box in active mode. Yes, that's at home.

    Don't place too much faith in the GRC tests.
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  • Systems
    Systems Posts: 14,873
    edited January 2010
    quadzilla wrote: »
    Check Point Firewall-1 R70.2 on a Dell 1750 and a Snort inline box in active mode. Yes, that's at home.

    Don't place too much faith in the GRC tests.

    Well thats about the only place I know to run some sort of a test. The guy is a "freak" about security...

    What tests do you use?
    Testing
    Testing
    Testing
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