i think they are important what do you think?

A Firewall is the first line of a layered defence. Not running a firewall is like leaving the door to your house open, anyone can come in.

I would never let my comp touch the internet without a firewall.

Why? I dont have a firewall and my computer touches the internet all day long.

Not that a firewall isnt a good idea or a nice thing to have, but a good security strategy cannot stop with a firewall.

If all you are relying on to be protected is a firewall, you might as well have nothing, because it wont do you a bit of good.

A little common sense, a good antivirus program (updated) and a good antimalware program (updated) will do you far better than any firewall.

ScHwErV

But firewalls also stop exploits and people getting in dont they ? they also let you know what goes on in your traffic

Firewall, AV, Anti-malware, common sense + an updated browser (Not IE ) will keep you safe.

I don't have a good AV or Firewall, I don't really like my AV or Firewall at-all (Norman), but I do have great anti-malware and I really haven't had that much of problems as of yet.

I usually don't pay attention to my firewall. It can be a useful tool, but alone it is pretty useless. I personally have Norton Anti-Virus, Windows XP Firewall, Ad-Aware SE, Spybot SD, Microsoft AntiSpyware (beta version), Trojan Hunter, and Hijackthis. That'll pretty much stop anything.

i agree with schwerve and probably (as usuall) will add a little...

depending on it's configuration, a firewall may be a little too far over the deep end for most home users. i say this because a properly configured firewall is not as simple as turn on or off. a properly configured firewall requires a multitude of properly written ACLs, which is very hard to take care of without the proper knowledge.

with this said, most people don't need a true fire wall because most personal computers don't get actively hacked. unless you make someone angry on irc or on an online game (and in that scenario your firewall won't help because you probably had to open the ports that they will use to mess with you so that you could run your irc or game)

the only people who really absolutely truley 100% of the time need good hard core firewalls are medium to large businesses who have alot of sensitive information stored on their networks

I know firewalls aren't as important as a decent AV program, but are you guys saying firewalls are kind of pointless to have on a home PC?

this is probably going to sound strange, but to me a firewall is lame junk. i've had my computer for 4 years now and i use all the best AV and AS programs there is, but i don't use a firewall. i've never had any problems without it and quite frankly, i don't think i ever will.

well....a firewall is great to have, they are extremely helpful. but not neccesarry for home users. firewalls will not block viruses or malware downloads (most of the time) they are basically used to restrict access from the internet and restrict access to the internet. most home users don't need either...all you really need is 2 good av programs and 2 good spyware programs and a dilligent scanning and updating schedule

at least someone agrees with me... firewalls are not needed. good point dsenette!

Well, I think a Firewall is only good for blocking Remote access attempts ... AND as was just stated , a Firewall DOES not in any way replace an antimaleware or Antivirus program.. they do not Block Viruses ...

AND if you are abusing somone on IRC ( CHAT ROOM ) Like was stated befor , they will get you remotly Through the port you accessed the IRC room via...

SO my opinion is a Firewall is Worthless lol , Probly Good idea to leave it alone Though ( Incase you leave yourself Totally Unprotected ) If you Have no idea about them i would just leave them alone lol



Just Woundering on a Question i asked myself a Min ago lol

There is over 60,000+ Ports open on any one computer at any one time ???

Just woundering if you can clear that up with me , as i think there is but not 100% on it

You dug up a 2 year old thread for that?

To admit that you "abuse someone on IRC" on a forum that specializes in security?

While this may be possible, its extremely unlikely. Just because you allow IRC through the firewall, doesn't mean that the firewall opens that port to everything.

No, especially if you use a firewall.

Hi there,

Here is a fun test you can run to check out the first 1056 ports of your computer. I'm running Comodo Pro Firewall and I received a full stealth rating on this test.

Cheers

Troy