Wireless Security

I just purchased McAfee Wireless Home Network Security. Do you recommend that I still install ZoneAlarm and create WEP security on my laptop or will the McAfee take care of everything? Also, if you do recommend that I install ZoneAlarm, will the two softwares have a negative affect on each other? Thanks in advance.

 

For promiscuous wifi use on any of my computers/laptops use the windows xp firewall, and Avast home edition (free). Anything more and you are going to bog your system down. On my home network I use WPA with a long phrase as the password (prettyplease), and in public I use whatever is open.

 

Oh yea, for anything on my home network windows firewall is disabled, and the only thing going is the Avast AV. Firewalls are the aluminum foil hats that companies scare internet users into buying. Almost any router these days just by dropping packets or pings (default) will be perfect for users.

Businesses are the only ones who need anything like this, but it is because the servers and other open devices behind them that need the protection. Home users don't have a web, ftp, smtp, telnet, ssh, etc server running on their home network.

 

Uninstall McAfee Wireless Home Network Security.


Install.. Sygate Personal Firewall (Free Firewall)
Install.. AntiVir (Free Antrivirus)

 

I highly disagree. I stand by Mcafee after using it for years now. Mcafee helps you a lot and this sounds like im exaggerating but I have never had a virus/trojan on my computer. In my opinion, it's one of the best anti-virus/firewall software. What's the point of getting rid of it when it does no harm. If you have connection issues, just disable the firewall on it which is very easy.

For security, if you really want to be protective, WPA is your best choice. WEP is alright but it can be easy to crack but it's what i use, and sometimes no security sonce of my area.
If you live in say an apartment/condo, where people are all around you, you would want WPA. If your in a remote area, with few people around, WEP is fine.

-Nickspohn

 

Right now I have McAfee, Spybot, ZoneAlarm, Ad-Adware, and Symantec. I feel like this is too many programs. Can you help me simplify my security features? Thank you.

 

Keep Mcafee and ZoneAlarm, and possible Spy Bot if you want. You can get rid of the rest.

 

Saying that you are a PC user and have NEVER had a piece of spyware or malware on your computer is a pretty bold statement. Because there is NO antivirus software on the planet that has ever released an update the very second a virus or piece of malware has been released. NEVER. So this just means that your browsing habits and internet activity are more on the lighter side than most other people.

But I can say that I haven’t had a virus or trojan in about the last 6 months. For one I now use Firefox (Non ActiveX browser) 100% of the time and that for one reason or another viruses and trojans haven’t been out in full force as of late. They seem to be hitting more of the kids that are using P2P applications like kazaa than any other place.

MacAfee IMO is slightly better than Norton, as it doesn’t hog the system as much. But still it's a way too commercial application for me to stick behind it. And there are better application half the price or free that do a better job. One example is this...
http://overclockers.com/articles1260/

I like that article since it just doesn’t give an application a simple (Great/Good/Ok) rating. It actually gives you the numbers and let you think about it.

MacAfee’s Antivirus is not bad at all. But their firewall is pathetic. Heck all it takes is a quick read over some of the commercial crap magazines that are on any news stands (PC Magazine for example) to see that MacAfee’s firewall is trash.

IMO Sygate Personal Firewall is the best free firewall on the market and their non-free version is the best paid firewall on the market. Zone alarm is a joke.

Now you might be saying “well how exactly do you know what is better? Have you tried them all?” Well my response would be no to all. But yes to every application listed in this thread. Before moving over to any one application to stand behind I always try out what everyone else suggest for me to use before I pick one. Why? Because it’s who I am and I like knowing what I’m talking about.

Then again I question myself why I’m even making this debate on a simple notebook forum. It seems foreign and a little off topic for the local crowed.

 

There is nothing wrong and i agree with you. When you go out and purchase software, just keep it. He has other programs as long as the Windows Firewall. I've had those and never really liked them, don't know why, i just didn't. Tried Nortan, screwed up my computer and im never ever going with them again. Happened to a family computer running Windows 98 a while back, crashed that system, installed on mine, and nearly did the same thing.

From what i use and have used, i really like Mcafee. I've done very heavy work on the internet, i download stuff all the time and then more.

 

There are two separate security issues when it comes to WiFi.

(1) How to secure your personal wireless network so that others cannot have unauthorized access to it.

The answer to that is on the hardware level of the WiFi broadcasts - usually a combination of three things is done.

(a) Disable SSID broadcast at the WAP/router
(b) Enable MAC address filtering at the WAP/router and only allow the IP addresses of the WiFi adapters you use on your computers to connect
(c) Activate encryption (WEP or WPA) and configure it with similar keys for the WAP/router and each of the PCs.

(a) will stop anyone who doesn't know your network ID
(b) will stop anyone who doesn't have a packet sniffer and a MAC spoof utility
(c) will stop anyone who cannot crack those encryption schemes. As Nick said, WPA is known to be far more secure than WEP.

How far to go - all depends on you. IMO, (a) and (b) are absolutely necessary, while (c) is something that is desirable.

(2) How to secure your laptop if you frequently log in to foreign networks

This is best done with a software firewall. My recommendations aren't better than of those guys around, but I've only used ZoneAlarm and I liked it for the simple reason that it automatically detects networks and you can specify which are "Trusted" zone (where you enable file sharing and open access between PCs - suitable for your home LAN) and "Internet" zone, where you basically shutdown your PC from any foreign activity, except internet access (with all non-standard ports are blocked by default and heavy traffic monitoring warns you about access attempts).

What you need to have is one firewall and one antivirus program running on your PC. You can have as many spyware detection and removal programs as you want. As long as you run them manually and don't set them to autorun at startup, they won't conflict with each other. I have Ad-Aware, Spybot, HijackThis, and use them whenever I feel like I need to.

 

This is great information. Thank you!!

 

It is and very nicely down Dr.

Are there any other questions you have for us?