Re: Outpost firewall prob when shutting down PC (XP SP2)

Leythos <void@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
In article <4nlm6uFb324jU1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, usenet-2006@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
says...
Leythos <void@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
In article <4nlbsvFakbroU1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, usenet-2006@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
says...
Leythos <void@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
No, the entire point was, on a default installation, is there
anything that protects a user better than the Windows Firewall.

Of course there is. Not using an account with admin privileges for
day-to-day work for instance.

I understand that, but, unless you've been asleep for the last 10
years, most every home user running Windows is running as a local
admin, not to mention all the small businesses that are also running
as either a domain admin or a local admin on a workstation.

Which is exactly what needs to be changed.

Um, did you miss that it's been this way for almost as long as
Microsoft has been around. Not one of their version of any OS they've
produced as defaulted to protected mode.

And this is a reason NOT to change anything about it, because ...?

You won't get users to change their settings, to change that they
use an Administrator account, etc... At least not for most of
them. So, it stands, can ZoneAlarm and other products protect a
user more than Windows Firewall can?

No.

Besides, if you can get them to install %SOFTWARE%, why do you
believe you couldn't get them to use restricted accounts?

Because they will have problems running applications as limited
users - QuickBooks, POGO games, some reporting tools, many online
FPS games...

You DID notice the boatloads of people popping up here and elsewhere
having problems caused by running personal firewalls, didn't you?

Sure, I see it all the time. I've also seen people run with PFW
solutions, for years at a time, without ANY problems with any of their
applications.

Just like I have seen people work with reduced privileges for years
without problems. So you do agree then that running into problems at
times is neither an argument against running with normal user rights nor
is it an argument for using personal firewalls.

[...]
So, answer that question, without any conditional crap, running as an
Administrator, in a default installation of Windows XP, with Windows
Firewall on one computer, ZoneAlarm on a second computer, which one is
more likely to be compromised first if you do the same things on both
computers?

Because of that "running as an administrator"-part they're equally
likely to get compromised. I already have said that above. You even
quoted that part.

Anyway, you'll obviously rather target the symptoms by adding more
layers of software (and complexity) than fix the underlying problem, so
we'll probably have to agree to disagree.

cu
59cobalt
--
"If you think technology can solve your security problems, then you
don't understand the problems and you don't understand the technology."
--Bruce Schneier
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Windows XP - computer workgroup
    ... A desktop uses windows XP PRO and a wireless ... They all have Windows firewall active and exception as remote desktop ... With the GUEST user account not active ... start by running the Network Setup Wizard on all machines (see ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.network_web)
  • Re: Need help closing security holes in my Windows XP home system!
    ... >>stop using the win xp user account with admin, ... >>windows as the admin, ... then you really don't understand security for the ...
    (comp.security.firewalls)
  • RE: [in] Re: [Full-Disclosure] IE is just as safe as FireFox
    ... The first account created on Windows is Administrator, ... and even it had poor initial security when it was really tested. ... doesn't require admin either). ...
    (Full-Disclosure)
  • Re: Validation of XP
    ... except to mention that UAC caused me to reboot to WinXP ... there shouldn't be any reason you need to run as admin to play a game. ... Windows doesn't do this or that natively, and one of those things is ... As for the default admin account, ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)
  • Re: Lost admin access to ADAM
    ... Firewall may be doing harm here. ... SDE, DS Admin eXperience ... This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights. ... User account: NETWORK SERVICE ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.server.active_directory)