Re: Windows FW vs. ZoneAlarm or Kerio

guzzi wrote:
Hi all,

i've been used ZoneAlarm for about 1 year, but last week it coused my pc almost dye. No RDP, no Communicator.. problems with DNS and general network problems. So i opened it and choosed Program Control to clear all those rules (every time i click Allow/Deny in that pupup ballon) ZoneAlarm freezed together with my PC (5x time in a row). So i uninstalled it.

Now a want to use Windows Defender with Windows Firewall instead. But i can't figure aout how to configure WF to act as ZoneAlarm.


Can't be done. Windows Firewall lacks most of ZoneAlarm's capabilities.


I want it to show me all programs that are willing to access external DNS and server. But it doesn't :(


Nor can it be made to do so.

WinXP's built-in firewall is adequate at stopping incoming attacks, and hiding your ports from probes. What WinXP SP2's firewall does not do, is provide an important additional layer of protection by informing you about any Trojans or spyware that you (or someone else using your computer) might download and install inadvertently. It doesn't monitor out-going network traffic at all, other than to check for IP-spoofing, much less block (or at even ask you about) the bad or the questionable out-going signals. It assumes that any application you have on your hard drive is there because you want it there, and therefore has your "permission" to access the Internet. Further, because the Windows Firewall is a "stateful" firewall, it will also assume that any incoming traffic that's a direct response to a Trojan's or spyware's out-going signal is also authorized.

ZoneAlarm or Kerio are much better than WinXP's built-in firewall, in that they do provide that extra layer of protection, are much more easily configured, and have free versions readily available for downloading. Even the commercially available Symantec's Norton Personal Firewall provides superior protection, although it does take a heavier toll of system performance then do ZoneAlarm or Kerio.


Is there any paper about (advanced) configuring?



It's rather difficult to provide any information on "advanced configuring" of the Windows firewall, as it's such a barebones, rudimentary firewall; it has no advanced capabilities to be configured. For what little there is, I'd suggest that you start here:

Microsoft TechNet The Cable Guy - February 2004: Manually Configuring Windows Firewall in Windows XP Service Pack 2
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/community/columns/cableguy/cg0204.mspx


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Bruce Chambers

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