An important warning!

If you use Windows and have it set to automatically download and install regular updates, and you use Zone Alarm's firewall, the odds are good you're not reading this.

Why?

Because the 7/10/08 Windows update has a conflict with Zone Alarm which keeps you from connecting to the internet. Zone Alarm now has an update. First, uninstall the Windows update, install the Zone Alarm Update, and then download and re-install the important Windows Update.

This is why I love my Mac!

Originally Posted by butzie

This is why I love my Mac!

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No problems here with my Mac!

Originally Posted by butzie

This is why I love my Mac!

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Ahhh, I agree!

Originally Posted by butzie

This is why I love my Mac!

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And that's also why I love my Linux! (much cheaper than a Mac too )

Yeah my zonealarm wasn't letting my internet work for a couple days and I had to download the update and now its fine

Here's the bad news, Mac Lovers... I heard a Mac and security expert say just last week on NPR that he is starting to see viruses written for Macs. So far, the ISP filters have caught them, and they were pretty crude, but the same was true for Windows viruses when they first started appearing.

Hmmm, still wish I could afford a Mac.
ZoneAlarm has been annoying me lately.

I have a Pc and a Mac. I like the Mac alot better. It has way less problems.

I tried ZoneAlarm years ago... it annoyed me, specifically because it was buggy and didn't have the features I wanted (needed more configuration options). With the router and cable modem, we really don't need software firewalls anyways - so DH has the useless Windows one turned off and doesn't use anything else.

I don't have to worry.

I use AVG and i've had no problems zone alarm is a bit annoying I use to have it

I have the Zone Alarm on my computer and didn't have a problem reading this

Originally Posted by marie-p

And that's also why I love my Linux!

(much cheaper than a Mac too

)

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Same same Ubuntu Linux 8.04 on the desktop, and Linux Mint 4.0 on the laptop.

No problems here

Originally Posted by strange_wings

I tried ZoneAlarm years ago... it annoyed me,

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Ya, me too. I ditched ZA long ago.

With the router and cable modem, we really don't need software firewalls anyways

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That's not entirely true. The HW firewall in the router prevents anything coming in unsolicited from the outside, but it doesn't prevent a program on the inside from opening a port (ie telling the FW to open up) and asking something nasty to come in. No one intentionally launches such a program on their computer, but you could click on something seemiingly innoccuous on a website or in an email, and invite in an unwanted visitor despite your HW firewall.

Originally Posted by coaster

That's not entirely true. The HW firewall in the router prevents anything coming in unsolicited from the outside, but it doesn't prevent a program on the inside from opening a port (ie telling the FW to open up) and asking something nasty to come in. No one intentionally launches such a program on their computer, but you could click on something seemiingly innoccuous on a website or in an email, and invite in an unwanted visitor despite your HW firewall.

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I'm on Linux and DH actually has some common sense as far as what to avoid - he also has adblocker installed and our ISP blocks a lot of suspicious emails (and I check his computer regularly). So as far as the two of us go - we don't need additional firewalls.

Paranoia, caution, skepticism, with a strong dose of common sense probably makes the best "firewall." But humans make mistakes, and I've inadvertantly clicked on something I didn't intend to, even though I'd say I rate pretty high in all those areas. I'd prefer to have some software backing me up. Just a couple days ago my antivirus software blocked an infected javascript file that overtly just put today's date on the page. I looked at the file in quarantine and sure enough, there was something suspicious in there, hiding a full page full of nulls down from the actual script. This is a file that loads with the page, something you normally wouldn't see of be aware of. In this case the infection was labelled an "exploit" so if it hadn't been caught by my software, it could have opened up my computer to the outside world, through my router firewall, without me being aware of it.

Nope, I'm sorry, I don't think your approach is quite good enough. Especially for Windows people. Running Linux your exposure is indeed very low, but it isn't zero. It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when. Since you're happy with your approach, that's fine. You understand the risks and you believe you can deal with them. I don't see any problem with that. I just don't think it would be a good approach for most people.

Originally Posted by coaster

I just don't think it would be a good approach for most people.

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That I agree with. So far all the bad issues I've ever had to deal with have always been related to hardware (dying usually) or the OS itself - I suppose I've been very lucky.... of course before my other comp died I was running win2k with a modified host file so maybe I took it a step too far on the paranoia side of things.