multiple firewalls

[Bart]

My wireless router has a firewall, my A/V has a firewall, my XP OS has a
firewall. LinkSys say theirs is the best, Panda Titanium bugs the heck out
of me if theirs isn't turned on, people say that XP's version is worthless.
Can all these firewalls conflict and cause problems or is it like looking
through three panes of glass? Should I leave all three enabled? Or,
un-enable the Panda and XP? I'm not sure if I can stop the LinkSys firewall
easily.

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

You should use the built-in hardware-based firewall included with
your LinkSys router (which is automatically enabled), and also just
one (1) software-based firewall (either Windows XP's or a third-party
offering). Do not use more than one (1) software-based firewall
as conflicts and error messages may occur.

Note:

If you already have a non-Microsoft firewall on your computer, you should
continue to use it. If you do not have a firewall, then you have a choice.

If you want a simple firewall that is very easy to configure, then you should
use the Windows XP Internet Connection Firewall. If you want more advanced
control over the traffic that passes through your computer and you also want to
block outgoing traffic (that is the traffic from your computer out to the Internet)
then choose a personal firewall from another company.

Internet firewalls: Frequently asked questions
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/firewall.mspx

Use the Internet Connection Firewall
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/learnmore/icf.mspx

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User
Microsoft Newsgroups

Get Windows XP Service Pack 2 with Advanced Security Technologies:
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/windowsxp/choose.mspx

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

:

| My wireless router has a firewall, my A/V has a firewall, my XP OS has a
| firewall. LinkSys say theirs is the best, Panda Titanium bugs the heck out
| of me if theirs isn't turned on, people say that XP's version is worthless.
| Can all these firewalls conflict and cause problems or is it like looking
| through three panes of glass? Should I leave all three enabled? Or,
| un-enable the Panda and XP? I'm not sure if I can stop the LinkSys firewall
| easily.

 

[gls858]

My wireless router has a firewall, my A/V has a firewall, my XP OS has a
firewall. LinkSys say theirs is the best, Panda Titanium bugs the heck out
of me if theirs isn't turned on, people say that XP's version is worthless.
Can all these firewalls conflict and cause problems or is it like looking
through three panes of glass? Should I leave all three enabled? Or,
un-enable the Panda and XP? I'm not sure if I can stop the LinkSys firewall
easily.

Yes they can conflict. When I have two firewalls turned on it cuts
my throughput in half. One should be enough. IF it's configured
properly.

gls858

 

[Lorne]

You should use the built-in hardware-based firewall included with
your LinkSys router (which is automatically enabled), and also just
one (1) software-based firewall (either Windows XP's or a third-party
offering). Do not use more than one (1) software-based firewall
as conflicts and error messages may occur.

Is there a benefit to running the XP firewall as well as the router
firewall?

I have a D-Link router and it turns the XP firewall off when it is switched
on and given the extra control and features it has it never occurred to me
there was any benefit to having XP on at the same time.

 

[Bart]

Thanks, Carey. I have elected to use the Panda firewall since it does give
me more control and more options. I did have to update some firmware for
LinkSys; however. It was not so hard to do and it has been as solid as a
rock since. This configuration should be bulletproof!

Thank you for responding!

Bart

 

[Guest]

Firewalls don't conflict as badly as multiple anti-virus applications, but
they still do cause some problems when run together.

1) Your information has one more step to go through before it gets to the
internet - this can cause delays
2) If you accidentally Deny permission to an application - there'll be heck
to pay when trying to find out which one of them is blocking it.
3) The hardware firewall in your router is essential - it's also dumb, with
a set of wired in rules that it has to follow. The software firewall - in
combination with the hardware firewall - gives you the flexibility that you
need along with the security

Personally, I use a hardware firewall in my router and one software
firewall. I find that the built in Windows Firewall that comes with SP2
doesn't meet my needs. I'd recommend it for someone who doesn't want to be
bothered with deciding what should be done. I use the Sygate Personal
Firewall (freeware) and know a lot of folks who recommend the Zone Alarm free
version also.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Is there a benefit to running the XP firewall as well as the router
firewall?

None, whatsoever. A 3rd party firewall would have an added layer of
protection, however.

I have a D-Link router and it turns the XP firewall off when it is switched
on and given the extra control and features it has it never occurred to me
there was any benefit to having XP on at the same time.

If you use a router with NAT, it's still a very good idea to use a
3rd party software firewall. Like WinXP's built-in firewall,
NAT-capable routers do *nothing* to protect the user from him/herself
(or any "curious," over-confident teenagers in the home). Again --
and I cannot emphasize this enough -- almost all spyware and many
Trojans and worms are downloaded and installed deliberately (albeit
unknowingly) by the user. So a software firewall, such as Sygate or
ZoneAlarm, that can detect and warn the user of unauthorized out-going
traffic is an important element of protecting one's privacy and
security. (Remember: Most antivirus applications do not even scan for
or protect you from adware/spyware, because, after all, you've
installed them yourself, so you must want them there, right?)

I use both a router with NAT and Sygate Personal Firewall, even
though I generally know better than to install scumware. When it
comes to computer security and protecting my privacy, I prefer the old
"belt and suspenders" approach. In the professional IT community,
this is also known as a "layered defense." Basically, it comes down
to never, ever "putting all of your eggs in one basket."

--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH

 

[Bruce Chambers]

My wireless router has a firewall, my A/V has a firewall, my XP OS has a
firewall. LinkSys say theirs is the best, Panda Titanium bugs the heck out
of me if theirs isn't turned on, people say that XP's version is worthless.
Can all these firewalls conflict and cause problems or is it like looking
through three panes of glass? Should I leave all three enabled? Or,
un-enable the Panda and XP? I'm not sure if I can stop the LinkSys firewall
easily.

If you use a router with NAT, it's still a very good idea to use a
3rd party software firewall. Like WinXP's built-in firewall,
NAT-capable routers do *nothing* to protect the user from him/herself
(or any "curious," over-confident teenagers in the home). Again --
and I cannot emphasize this enough -- almost all spyware and many
Trojans and worms are downloaded and installed deliberately (albeit
unknowingly) by the user. So a software firewall, such as Sygate or
ZoneAlarm, that can detect and warn the user of unauthorized out-going
traffic is an important element of protecting one's privacy and
security. (Remember: Most antivirus applications do not even scan for
or protect you from adware/spyware, because, after all, you've
installed them yourself, so you must want them there, right?)

I use both a router with NAT and Sygate Personal Firewall, even
though I generally know better than to install scumware. When it
comes to computer security and protecting my privacy, I prefer the old
"belt and suspenders" approach. In the professional IT community,
this is also known as a "layered defense." Basically, it comes down
to never, ever "putting all of your eggs in one basket."

And, if you are using a 3rd party software firewall, it would be a good
idea to turn off WinXP's built-in firewall, to avoid possible conflicts.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH

 

[Leythos]

My wireless router has a firewall, my A/V has a firewall, my XP OS has a
firewall. LinkSys say theirs is the best,

The "Linksys" device IS NOT A FIREWALL, it only blocks unsolicited
INBOUND connections. This means that anything your machine contacts can
also reverse contact your machine. There is no firewall, it's just the
way that NAT works. Do not confuse it with a firewall for any reason.

With that being said, NAT is a great barrier for unsolicited traffic,
but it doesn't block outbound if one of your computers gets infected and
starts attacking other computers on the internet.

Panda Titanium bugs the heck out
of me if theirs isn't turned on, people say that XP's version is worthless.

While XP Fw is not worthless, you have to ask yourself, if the OS wasn't
secure in the first place, and new exploits are found every month, how
solid can the Fw, by the same vendor, be at protecting your computer.

Can all these firewalls conflict and cause problems or is it like looking
through three panes of glass? Should I leave all three enabled? Or,
un-enable the Panda and XP? I'm not sure if I can stop the LinkSys firewall
easily.

The Linksys NAT device is a must, leave it on at all times - you must
have the BEFSX41 unit, it's the only one that has a "firewall" enable
setting, you don't really need the "Firewall" enabled in the SX, as NAT
is doing most all of the work.

As for Panda, you've not told us what it's complaining about, so it's
hard to say.

XP FW? Well, I would never use two software firewalls on the same
computer at the same time, so, pick one and use it. Try ZoneAlarm
Personal, I trust it for the most part and it's easy for home users to
setup and run.

 

[Leythos]

Yes they can conflict. When I have two firewalls turned on it cuts
my throughput in half. One should be enough. IF it's configured
properly.

Utter BS, if the computer has any performance it will not cut the
through-put in half, maybe 10% loss for each one, but certainly not
HALF!

 

[gls858]

Utter BS, if the computer has any performance it will not cut the
through-put in half, maybe 10% loss for each one, but certainly not
HALF!

You may think it's BS but that exactly what happened. Maybe it was the
specific combination that I have I don't know. You notice that I said
when *I* have two turned on it cuts *my* throughput in half. I guess
I you have added YMMV.

gls858

 

[Bart]

Sorry for not being more clear about Panda's nagging. Panda has a popup
that tell me that their firewall isn't turned on and don't I want it to be?
It pops up many times in a session and to avoid the hassle I enabled Panda
and disabled XP FW. Now I have the LinkSys and the software FW from Panda
running. I have yet to have a conflict and have yet to have a problem with
info leaving my machine. Thanks for the response. Great people here!

PS: the LinkSys router is a BEFW11S4 four port wireless

Bart

 

[Ken Blake]

In

Sorry for not being more clear about Panda's nagging. Panda
has a
popup that tell me that their firewall isn't turned on and
don't I
want it to be? It pops up many times in a session and to avoid
the
hassle I enabled Panda and disabled XP FW. Now I have the
LinkSys
and the software FW from Panda running. I have yet to have a
conflict and have yet to have a problem with info leaving my
machine.
Thanks for the response. Great people here!

You're talking about running both a software and a hardware
"firewall" (even if the router isn't exactly a firewall, it
performs firewall-like functions)? No, there's no risk of
conflicts between the two. The potential for conflict is if you
have two pieces of software simultaneously performaing similar
functions.