Do firewalls stop viruses and worms?

[sweetheart]

I'm looking to "harden" this computer, as my last one got destroyed by an internet infection that kept putting a wierd search engine on "favorites" and then popping up all these websites that were rather offensive.

I had a popup stopper, but that did not work to stop this kinda thing.

Is a firewall the right answer? (simple windows xp box)

If so, do better firewalls have hardware involved, or are they just sofware drivers?

As i spend time online, i don't want government hackers coming in and putting trojan horses or any sorta crap on the system without my knowledge. Is that what a firewall achieves?

If you can recommend a good way to go, i'd greatly appreciate it.

Thanks in advance,
-sweetheart

[are_we_united_yet]

1. I don't think so

You can get an EMAIL with a worm attached to it usually but not always with an exe file.

Firewalls from my understanding block malicious hacks to and from your computer by using your IP address.

I think the gov can pretty much do anything they want (having created the internet and whatnot) but I am not 100% sure of that statement.

[ixion]

2. no, not in general

because you get them from downloading an email or a web page or file, so the firewall isn't going to stop that.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

5. Correct, they infect you by bypassing your firewall

and are usually self-inflicted, in that the owner opens an attachment without scanning it or something like that.

[Gman]

3. IMHO...

your first and best line of defense is a hardware router such as a Linksys router. All ports can be shut down both incoming and outgoing except the ones you want open. Software firewalls are ok, but they're still made of code and (IMHO) any code can be compromised if your running a Windows machine.

[sweetheart]

8. regarding hardware routers

Given that i can figure out how to acquire and hook one of these things up, what does it do?

My software engineering is in application design and SQL, not in networking, so forgive my ignorance, though i am well schooled, so you can use proper terms.

To block popups and java things from starting and reconfiguring my machine, does the firewall have any impact?

I keep it on microsoft for word, excell, powerpoint and general home business apps... all files are junk, and i could blow the machine away and reload it if it gets corrupted.. all my work, NEVER touches internet gateways... as in not-wired. Physical isolation is the only real security, and i already use that.

Just i'm sick of having my bloody configurations screwed with by creative appletts and c# or activex bits that are somehow able to access and reconfigure my machine just by my touching a website.

For what i'm seeking, as the machine is not grossly critical, does not a software firewall achieve the end? How does the hardware firewall communicate with the user? Is there some sort of control panel?

Costwise beyond virus software, what does such a hardware config cost? Ive only got ISDN, as no faster services are available round these parts.

I've got an old SUN LX upstairs in the attic, but its such a pain in the ass space-wise to put a workstation under this desk just to act as a firewall.. plus the baby is sorta noisy.

Thank you,

[HEyHEY]

4. If you're worried about worms, stop eating raw cookie dough

:-)

[cprise]

6. The best defense is to get away from Windows

The following are all good Linux distributions:

http://www.xandros.com

http://www.lindows.com

http://www.mandrakesoft.com

http://www.knoppix.net

[AntiCoup2K4]

7. worm viruses are transmitted by e-mail and pass through the firewall....

....because they aren't a threat until you open them. A good anti-virus program (i.e. Norton, for example) will scan incoming e mail for virus and alert you if it finds any suspicious files.

Most home firewalls are software based. Norton Internet Security, Zone Alarm, Black Ice, etc. All of these are self configuring so you don't need to be an expert to get them going. You can go the hardware route if you have more money to put into it. One solution, if you happen to have an old computer sitting around, is to use it as a firewall. There are a few Linux distributions out there that are specifically built just for a firewall machine. Mandrake's Multi-network Firewall is downloadable from their website and installs within a few minutes, provided you have the net cards and CAT 5 cables to hook the PC's together.

[MsUnderstood]

9. Here is how to protect your computer

Your computer will need to protect itself against several layers of potential problems. IN order from most to least important are these programs:

Firewall: I use http://www.zonealarm.com because it is free. This software prevents unauthorized programs from accessing the internet and unathorized internet users from accessing your computer. It is a lock on the door.

Anti-Spyware. I use I use http://www.safer-networking.org/ because it is free. Anti-Spyware scans your computer for any mini programs running in the background that monitor your activity and create popups or search engine results based on your activity. This used to be a minor annoyance but so many sites have these programs ready to download to your computer that anti software is now a requirement. A firewall will not block these programs because they come through your browser.

Anti-Pop Up. I use http://www.google.com and download their pop up blocker. It is free (can you tell yet I am a cheapskate?!?) and it does a pretty good job at stopping pop ups but is easy to set to allow pop ups when you need them.

Anti Trojan. Try http://www.trojanscan.com/. It is free to scan but costs to clean your computer. Trojans are little programs maliciously placed on your machine that can watch/record your keystokes (think credit card and passwords) or use your computer to attack other computers.

Anti Virus. I use http://www.trendmicro.com for free online scanning. If you don't have Broadband, then buy an anti virus software (norton, mcafee, trend) but beware some over install stuff that slows down your computer. Strangely enough, this is the least important computer protection tool. Why? Because you can only get a virus if a) your computer is not protected by a firewall and a malicious being puts it on your comptuer or b) you download a file or open an e-mail attachment with a virus included. Since this is something you can only give yourself, I figure it is going to be rarer if you take precations like not opening unknown e-mail, being careful when downloading.

Hope this helps!!!

[Lindsay]

10. An anti-anti-virus note

from personal experience on two different systems (not mine)...McAfee anti-virus is a pain in the posterior. It tends to interfere with some programs. (And if you get one loaded on your computer when you buy it, it's not a complete program and is troublesome to update.)

Norton seems to be a consensus best, but I've had great success with the free version of AVG anti-virus that you can download here.... http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_dwnl_free.php

And whatever anti-virus program you have, don't forget to update it regularly!

[ConcernedCanuk]

11. AVG 6.0 - - get's MY vote -been using it for ages, warns you to update

.
.
even finds them nasty little auto-dialers that sneak in

easy to use, don't need to be a "techie"

AND it doesn't "interfere" with other programs

[IronLionZion]

12. Stinger is free and very good

McAfee makes it but somehow it is more powerful and free. Doesn't have extra crap like automatic updates.

[mvd]

13. In a way, yes

Routers stop all inbound traffic, and software firewalls stealth your ports so you won't be vulnerable to pings from worms. Some firewalls like ZAP alert you to certain e-mail attachment types.