CNET users trashing COMODO firewall

Budzoid · February 13, 2007, 3:24am

Hello fellow users. I just read a scathing report about CFW NOT being a stateful firewall (SPI). I was under the impression that this was not true. Please see discussion 21 of 64:
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Viruses & security alerts: Firewall Question
by mmills820105 - 2/3/07 10:49 AM
Total posts: 64 (Showing page 2 of 5)

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Post 16 of 64
Problem with Cyberhawk
by unomix - 2/12/07 5:50 AM
In reply to: depends by santuccie

I installed Kerio and Cyberhawk as per your recommendations and some of my simple card games (Pysol solitaire)would not work or even reinstall. I never got any program notifications and could not find anywhere to allow my games to play. I uninstalled Cyberhawk reinstalled Zonealarm with Kerio and all is fine now as far as my games are concerned.
I never got any warnings when I tried to play my Pysol or even reinstall it just that nothing would happen.
Do you have a preferences on anti virus programs and so you think my combo of Zonealarm and Kerio (the last two options turned off) is a viable or workable combination?
Thanks for the firewall education

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Post 17 of 64
possible solution - New!
by santuccie - 2/12/07 1:07 PM
In reply to: Problem with Cyberhawk by unomix

In answer to your question, no. You should not have two software firewalls running at the same time. If Cyberhawk is incompatible with your system, I think Blink Personal might be an option. You will might want to take a look at Blink’s help files, as it is a bit more difficult to use than Cyberhawk, but it is in fact more HIPS than firewall, and less likely to get into a fight with Kerio. It should also protect you from most hostile sites, which is my main concern.

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Post 18 of 64
Where could I find Blink Personal - New!
by unomix - 2/12/07 1:31 PM
In reply to: possible solution by santuccie

So far the Kerio and Zonealarm pro version firewall are co-existing very well, but if you anticipate problems I will change back to Cyberhawk or Blink if I can find it
thanks

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Post 19 of 64
here - New!
by santuccie - 2/12/07 1:53 PM
In reply to: Where could I find Blink Personal by unomix

And you’re very welcome.

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Post 20 of 64
i use commodo firewall
by william1boyle - 2/4/07 8:15 AM
In reply to: Firewall Question by mmills820105

commodo firewall is also a great firewall prevents ms dos attacks limits packets gives you the options to be in control of your pc highly recommended give it a try best wishes

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Post 21 of 64
not spi
by santuccie - 2/4/07 8:44 AM
In reply to: i use commodo firewall by william1boyle

After the botnet outbreak in October, Comodo was on one of the many machines I disinfected. It is not a stateful firewall. It makes little difference how good Comodo does in the leaktests; it omits the one thing the firewall was originally invented for, and that’s keeping ALL intruders out at ALL times, not just when ports are closed and hidden.

The only technology with this capability is SPI, which is why it’s the one you’ll find in a hardware firewall. If you don’t believe me, try living at the rear of a cul-de-sac with four or five other WiFi networks in range of your own. Someone around you will catch a worm sooner or later, and there’s a decent chance a Trojan will be in it. Once the bot reports to its master, one thing the master will do is scan the local airwaves, finding you. Then, they’ll ■■■■■ your WEP/WPA encryption, join your home network, and attack you from the inside. An application firewall like Comodo will crumble under this attack, point blank.

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Post 22 of 64
A few questions
by mmills820105 - 2/4/07 9:59 AM
In reply to: not spi by santuccie

I installed the Kerio Firewall and just have a few questions:

Is there any configuration I need to do after setup, or is it automatically configured correctly?
I used to receive pop-ups from Zone Alarm when certain applications were trying to access the internet (programs like Media Player). I don’t get those with Kerio, so does that mean it’s not working properly?
I am running Kerio on my laptop, which is connected to the web through my Linksys WRT54G router. Are there any special settings I should have enabled in the firewall because of this?

As you can probably see, I am not very savvy when it comes to firewalls, so any other input you might have would be appreciated. Thanks!

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Post 23 of 64
One more
by mmills820105 - 2/4/07 12:25 PM
In reply to: A few questions by mmills820105

Can a firewall slow down system performance? I have noticed since installing Kerio that when I try to open MS Word documents, it takes a good 45 seconds to open up. It used to be instantaneous.

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Post 24 of 64
yes
by santuccie - 2/4/07 12:36 PM
In reply to: One more by mmills820105

Yes, they can. But this probably doesn’t have to do with system resources. It’s probably the HIPS checking for malicious behavior, which is something I will address momentarily in your previous question. Hopefully your documents will open much faster after this.

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Post 25 of 64
a few answers
by santuccie - 2/4/07 12:47 PM
In reply to: A few questions by mmills820105

Go through these motions:

open Kerio’s admin window (I think you can just double-click the icon in the system tray, where the clock is)
click the Intrusions tab
uncheck the last two checkboxes (Cyberhawk takes care of these areas)

Kerio doesn’t have as nice a HIPS unit as ZoneAlarm does. Cyberhawk does, in fact, it’s even nicer. It’s a second-generation HIPS. It’s much quieter. It still “cries wolf” occasionally, but the alerts are in English rather than jargon, making it easier for you to make the right decision.

If there’s one you’re not sure of, click “deny” once, without checking the “don’t ask me again” checkbox. If it terminates a program, open it back up. If the alert comes back, it’s probably legitimate. If it doesn’t, you’ve likely blocked an attack, and should run a scanner or two when you have time.

No. Kerio will automatically sense whichever network component(s) you’re using. The router won’t change much, besides your IP address.

Any questions are welcome. Stronger security on more computers means a safer Internet for me.

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Post 26 of 64
So
by mmills820105 - 2/4/07 1:03 PM
In reply to: a few answers by santuccie

Under the Intrusions tab, is it the HIPS and NIPS boxes thatg I should uncheck? As well, just for my confirmation, just because I don’t get popups like I used to with ZoneAlarm is no big deal, correct? Sorry to be a bother.

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Post 27 of 64
Ok, here goes…
by mmills820105 - 2/4/07 1:12 PM
In reply to: So by mmills820105

Ok, again sorry to be a bother, but I now have both apps installed and running. Do I need to configure CyberHawk in anyway, or should it configure itself similar to what Kerio did? Is there anythign in CyberHawk that I should check/uncheck?

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Post 28 of 64
CH and Kerio
by santuccie - 2/4/07 1:28 PM
In reply to: Ok, here goes… by mmills820105

Cyberhawk is already setup. Just leave it.

With Kerio, again, uncheck HIPS and Application Behavior Blocking in the Intrusions tab. That’s all you need.

By the way, if you find Kerio is stripping a lot of content from webpages, you could fiddle with the web blocking or just hold the Ctrl key and refresh the page.

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Post 29 of 64
no
by santuccie - 2/4/07 1:25 PM
In reply to: So by mmills820105

Not NIPS; you want to leave that one checked. That’s your network protection. The ones you want to uncheck are the last two (HIPS and Application Behavior Blocking).

The fact that you don’t get popups all the time is not a problem. In fact, once you’ve unchecked HIPS and ABB, you shouldn’t get any of the from Kerio. The only popups you might get will be from Cyberhawk, and they won’t be anywhere near as frequent as ZoneAlarm’s. They will also be easier to understand.

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Post 30 of 64
Troubles
by mmills820105 - 2/4/07 4:00 PM
In reply to: no by santuccie

Ok, I’ve gone ahead and done that, but am encounterng new problems. As I mentioned, I am still getting a really long delay from the time I double-click an icon until the time it opens. I’ve tried MS Word & Excel files, Adobe PDF files and it even happens when I use the shortcut to put my laptop in standby mode.

It seems to be the result of the firewall. I uninstalled both Kerio and Cyberhawk and this delay was gone. Now that I have reinstalled them, it is back.

I like that these programs will keep me well protected, but I am not sure if I am willing to put up with such an inconvenient delay.

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I would like to hear from the GURU’s on this forum site to address this accusation. Comodo is my choice along with Cyberhawk for HIPS. Thanks

egemen · February 13, 2007, 6:47pm

I remember this message from somewhere else too(possibly in this forum). He is still talking about CFP not being a SPI firewall. I do remember that i had explained this guy the SPI in CFP.

CFP is a powerful stateful inspection firewall. He does not know what he is talking about at all. If CFP did not have SPI, you would not even connect to Internet without disabling the firewall or endangering your stealth status.

Hope this helps,

Egemen

stevec · February 13, 2007, 7:33pm

Stick to sites like Wilders or dslreports, thats where the serious tech gurus hang out, most of them use or recommend CFP.

Budzoid · February 14, 2007, 1:26am

Thanks everyone! I personally thought the poster had no idea what he was talking about. I did try Kerio (which they seem to think is God-sent and had so many problems that I gave it up for Comodo!!!)
When my sys. tray would load, I had to manually load Kerio everytime from the start list of programs.
I have used Comodo for about 6 months now and have NO regrets. Keep up the good work!