Top 3 firewalls, anti-virus apps, anti-spyware apps

In your opinion/experience, what are the top 3 stand-alone firewalls,
anti-virus apps & anti-spyware apps?
Reasons/explanations for your choices would be welcome too.
Thanks.

 

1) hardware
2) Shorewall
3) 1+2

1) Not using Windows
2) Still not using Windows
3) Never using Windows for anything requiring an internet connection or
exchanging data with anyone else.

A 'hardware' firewall is independent of whatever you might have running on
computers protected by it.

Shorewall runs on Linux and if you have it running on the only machine
directly connected to the internet then you very nearly have a hardware
firewall. Windows is inherently vulnerable, due to its basic design; it
can be made secure, but just not letting it get loose in the first place is
even better )

If you aren't using Windows, you do not need anti-virus or anti-spyware
tools at all. (Firms whose business is selling anti-virus and
anti-spyware products naturally don't want to admit that, because if
people stop using Windows then they'll stop needing anti-spyware and
anti-virus programs).

I don't use Windows, this machine has Shorewall installed, and it connects
to the internet via a router+firewall device. No viruses, no trojans, no
spyware )

(And before you ask, no rootkits either; I do know that Linux is not
invulnerable, even though it is invulnerable to things that can break
Windows).

 

From reading in this group and others, you might see these most
strongly recommended:


Firewall:
Kerio
Outpost
Zone Alarm

Anti-virus:
Avast
AVG

Anti-spyware:
Ewido
Spybot S&D
Ad-Aware

 

I thought all Linux packages included a firewall as a basic tool --are
you saying that isn't true, or that there is a better one for your
Linux distro?

 

A low-end FW appliance like WatchGuard, Cisco, SnapGear, Sonicwall and
others or a NAT FW router that's ICSA certified. Netgear makes an ICSA
certified router and there are others. You can get the FW appliances
used if that's a concerned that has a full warrantee and Netgear for
under $100.

Why, because they have a syslog where you can use something like
Wallwatcher or KWIW Syslog Daemon (both free) and the solutions above
meet the specs for what does an Internet FW do.

http://www.firewall-software.com/firewall_faqs/what_does_firewall_do.html

As for a host based solution that's standalone, any solutions that use
two NIC with one connected to the modem the Internet facing NIC and the
other one facing the LAN the LAN facing NIC. One that ICSA certified if
possible.

I like NOD32 and it's one of the best, because it has a top rating and
light on the resources.

Anti-spyware I don't use it and have no use for it.

Duane

 

The OP was asking for a /standalone/ firewall, of which the Shorline
Firewall (aka Shorewall) is one. He wasn't asking about /integrated/
firewalls, which the majority of linux distros have as a standard feature.

 

For people running Linux, "iptables" (or the older "ipchains") is what does
the equivalent of a software firewall on a Windows system. Then,
"Shorewall" or "Guarddog" or many other such programs provide a GUI for
administering iptables - and appear to the user to be somewhat like the
'firewall' programs familiar to Windows users. It is of course possible
to configure iptables without using a GUI. Other tools also exist for
controlling access and egress, such as "TCP wrappers" and of course the
hosts file. Just not running as 'root' goes a long way.

 

Thanks to all for your replies.
Is it significant that all the above are free? (Well Ewido is sort-of free).
Are there any paid-for stand-alone apps you'd recommend for Windows in
addition to NOD32 that Duane mentioned?
Are there any websites that you consider knowledgeable and reliable that
compare different apps? I've seen loads of different sites recommending &
ranking loads of different apps, but I have no objective way of knowing how
reliable they are.
Thanks
(BTW Duane, how come you have no need for antispyware?)

 

Oh, something I forgot to ask...
Am I right in thinking that you should only have 1 firewall and 1 anti-virus
app running at the same time on your PC? Or am I mistaken?
I think you can run multiple anti-spyware apps, but is there a chance any
could conflict with one another? Can you have too few or too many
anti-spyware programs running at the same time? Is there an optimum number?

 

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

However, I still use IE and OE and I don't have problems is using them,
as I am on top of what I am doing with them.

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

3) I use the tools in the link and go look for myself.

Long

http://www.windowsecurity.com/artic...d_Rootkit_Tools_in_a_Windows_Environment.html

Short

http://tinyurl.com/klw1

4) I don't depend upon such solutions or a personal FW/personal host
based packet filter like a crutch, because they can be easily
circumvented and defeated.

Duane

 

I use AVG ...Outpost...and Ad-aware. Yep, it`s signifigant that they are all
free. In my case anyway.

Here is a good place to find info:

http://www.komando.com/

I learn a lot from this woan.