Virus and firewall questions

  • Thread starter Thread starter Morgan Ohlson
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Morgan Ohlson

Is a software firewall safer /more reliable if set in "totall block mode" ?

Can viruses attack firewall from inside?

Can a software firewall be extra improved?

Which is your MINIMUM safety actions per week for active web-surfers
/mail-users (on every day basis) ?

Shield use
1 scan
several scans
many different scanners
cleaning actions
??????

Morgan O.
 
Morgan Ohlson said:
Is a software firewall safer /more reliable if set in "totall block mode"
?
Click to expand...

Some network host based FW software are set by default to block all inbound
and outbound traffic by default and then one must set rules to allow the
traffic.
Can viruses attack firewall from inside?
Click to expand...

If the machine has been compromised by malware, it can attack the FW
software and take it down just like it can attack the O/S and take down the
O/S too. This is usually due to the O/S not being secured, and the user has
done something that lead to the compromise by using unsafe practices like
going to unknown sites or clinking on unknown email attachments.
Can a software firewall be extra improved?
Click to expand...

FW rules can be set for improvement based on the rules the end-user may need
for protection, which is based on the user needs.

Use a browser such as Firefox (free) as your default browser that is more
secure than IE and only use IE when a site will not work without using IE.

Use an email client other than Outlook Express like Thunderbird or one of
the others for those that don't know how to secure OE.

One can better secure the NT based O/S such as Win 2K and XP, like shutting
down unneeded services that close ports, setting better passwords for
user-accounts and disabling accounts that close holes, etc.

You can do all that other stuff run all that other stuff if you like, but
the bottom line is that the buck stops with the O/S and you.

http://labmice.techtarget.com/articles/winxpsecuritychecklist.htm

There is one for Win 2k too.

Duane :)
 
Is a software firewall safer /more reliable if set in "totall block mode" ?
Click to expand...

You mean set to block all inbound and outbound traffic? You won't be
able to use any internet apps if you block all outbound traffic.
Can viruses attack firewall from inside?
Click to expand...

There are quite a number of malwares that attempt to disable both
antivirus products and software firewalls.
Can a software firewall be extra improved?
Click to expand...

It's best to use a external firewall/router. Then if you want
application control and some other features, you can use a software
firewall as well.
Which is your MINIMUM safety actions per week for active web-surfers
/mail-users (on every day basis) ?
Click to expand...

That depends on whether you're a high risk or low risk user. Low risk
users might just do daily backup of data to removeable media. And
maybe do a series of checks and scans once in awhile (weekly to
monthly).

As I've mentioned to you elsewhere, you should learn to become a low
risk user. Here's some general guidelines:

http://www.claymania.com/safe-hex.html

Art

http://home.epix.net/~artnpeg
 
Duane said:
Use a browser such as Firefox (free) as your default browser that
is more secure than IE

and only use IE when a site will not work without using IE.
Click to expand...

...but only if you know what you are doing. It's likely a malicious
site "will only work with IE" and this does not mean one should fire
up IE just to go see what is going on there.

I always tell friends and clients to use IE only if they need it for
Windows updates, and if you have an online banking service that is
"IE-only" It is probably alright to use IE for that.

Personally, I changed banks for that reason. The new bank's web site
works in any browser.
 
Beauregard T. Shagnasty said:
..but only if you know what you are doing. It's likely a malicious site
"will only work with IE" and this does not mean one should fire up IE just
to go see what is going on there.
Click to expand...

It's possible but most likely the site will not work without IE because a
Web developer used development tools or features that will work with the IE
browser such as Tab Strips and other such tools that may only work with the
IE browser and for whatever reasons it was decided that the site was not
going to work or work correctly for any other browser and was not program to
do so.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/workshop/webcontrols/overview/tabstrip.asp

Firefox is my default browser but I have gone to sites like www.linksys.com
with Firefox and the drop down boxes for the site will not work unless I am
using IE. The site and many many other sites using the browser on the SuSe
Linux platform are a mess. I have not looked into it at all and just go back
to IE.
I always tell friends and clients to use IE only if they need it for
Windows updates, and if you have an online banking service that is
"IE-only" It is probably alright to use IE for that.

Personally, I changed banks for that reason. The new bank's web site works
in any browser.
Click to expand...

That's if the business decision was to do so to make the site work with
other browsers and one happens to be using that browser.

Duane :)
 
Duane said:
It's possible but most likely the site will not work without IE
Click to expand...

I was actually referring to being able to do its mischief if you
visited with IE. <g> That's why I put the quotes around the phrase.
Sorry if that wasn't obvious.

....
Firefox is my default browser but I have gone to sites like
www.linksys.com with Firefox and the drop down boxes for the site
will not work unless I am using IE.
Click to expand...

Do you mean the expanding menus? "Products Where to Buy ..."

They work for me in Firefox. JavaScript must be enabled, of course.

(I really dislike those kinds of menus.)
 
Do you mean the expanding menus? "Products Where to Buy ..."

They work for me in Firefox. JavaScript must be enabled, of course.

(I really dislike those kinds of menus.)
Click to expand...

JavaScript is enabled by default that I can see. Try one of the menu
selections in one of the drop down menu lists and see if the browser will
navigate to the next screen/page.

Oh, I take that back. It never worked until today and that site was
re-tooled recently due to the Cisco take over of Linksys. It seems it now
works with Firefox. ;-)

Duane :)
 
You mean set to block all inbound and outbound traffic? You won't be
able to use any internet apps if you block all outbound traffic.
Click to expand...

If having a permanent logon broadband www line. Does block the soft
firewall protect "harder" compared to normal mode?
There are quite a number of malwares that attempt to disable both
antivirus products and software firewalls.
Click to expand...

Is a remove and reinstall operation rais security?
It's best to use a external firewall/router. Then if you want
application control and some other features, you can use a software
firewall as well.


That depends on whether you're a high risk or low risk user. Low risk
users might just do daily backup of data to removeable media. And
maybe do a series of checks and scans once in awhile (weekly to
monthly).

As I've mentioned to you elsewhere, you should learn to become a low
risk user. Here's some general guidelines:

http://www.claymania.com/safe-hex.html
Click to expand...

I have heard it before... but never taken it serios :oP but now I know U
are right.


Morgan O.
 
Is a software firewall safer /more reliable if set in "totall block mode" ?
Click to expand...

If I leave the computer connected to the www.

Will the firewall secure intrusions more safely if set to [block all]
comared to usual mode to check according to application profil.
Can viruses attack firewall from inside?
Click to expand...

Understand the answer is yes.

Are there any firewall being more attacked then others?

Can a software firewall be extra improved?
Click to expand...

Ansswer was: No, not really... but safe hex does.

Which is your MINIMUM safety actions per week for active web-surfers
/mail-users (on every day basis) ?

Shield use
1 scan
several scans
many different scanners
cleaning actions
??????
Click to expand...

Morgan O. /again
 
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