Re: XP's Firewall

Robert Moir wrote:
Leythos wrote:
In article <0gbqe2htv762iuip0kmd2pu21ngrck3ust@xxxxxxx>,
b__nice@xxxxxxxxxxx says...
For the last time: Windows and other perssonal "firewalls" are pretty
equal on inbound protection.
Wrong - Windows Firewall allows applications to directly enter
exceptions without the users known permission. I've seen AOL software
modify Windows XP Firewall exceptions without any clear indication to
the user.

I've not seen AOL Software install exceptions in ZAP rules without the
user understanding that a change was being made.

But that's down to how the software making the change is programmed, not the firewall in question.

You need to be logged on as an admin to install many programs, and at this point a program can use any number of methods to change the config of an installed firewall if it finds it, from using any api provided to configure the firewall, all the way up to 'hacking' the registry entries for that firewall and/or editing config files on the fly. If you're logged in as admin and running a setup routine, that routine runs in your context (e.g. machine admin) and owns the machine in every sense.

How it makes changes to your firewall, or your AV and whether or not it tells / asks you first is a simple matter of courtesy on the part of the installer routine, not a flaw in any other software installed on your computer prior to you running the setup program.

Yet another reason why _all_ 'software firewalls' are a compromise.


I still think the best solution is a multi-layered approach that includes a hardware firewall and a software firewall.
.

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