Test your Antivirus and Firewall.

[Ashwin]

DISCLAIMER:
1. Do not proceed if you are unsure or if you find it too complicated.
2. Do not try this without an Antivirus.
3. This is purely for testing purposes only, no harm intended
4. Rest assured, the Firewall test is very safe. It just tries to communicates with a website.

Ok now that we have made ourselves clear, here is what we need to do

1. Make sure you have an Antivirus installed and that realtime protection is enabled.
2. Visit this webpage and follow the steps.

 http://jayaprakashkv.blogspot.com/2008/02/how-to-test-your-antivirus-software.html

If the test fails, reconfigure your antivirus,(im sure this isnt necessary)
I could have provided the steps here, but wanted to give credit to the source.
Im sure that some of you have seen this on other websites too.

My Norton Internet Security detected it immediately after i clicked on save. :-)

Test your Firewall by performing a Leak test:

Important, You need a Firewall (Windows firewall doesnt count)


1.Visit this webpage and download thje 25kb file by clicking on the image

http://www.grc.com/lt/leaktest.htm

2.Run the exe, if your firewall is configured properly there should be a pop-up, click on DENY.
If you did that, you should see some info on the exe saying your firewall is good.

3.If you clicked on ALLOW, go to your firewall's allowed programs and remove leaktest.exe and repeat step 2

Norton Smart Firewall allowed penetration, (shock, i used default settings, maybe i have to configure it)
But no, i installed Comodo firewall 4.0 and clicked on block and it was a success :-)
Will test in on my other computer with Outpost Pro.

[vivek]

Well the test doesn't seem complicated,but I don't think I have a firewall,missed the online armor++ from GOTD[actually there is way/trick to install software later]
BTW,I personally want to know which is the best firewall,Online armor++,Sygate,Jettico,Outpost,etc.
Even though comodo scored 1st first place in matousec,I have doubts bcoz I read that they use our gathered info. to advertisers which goes against privacy.Maybe this info. is also included in their EULA too,sad comodo free firewall definitely has potential to provide good security yet they are doing this probably for money I guess.

What's you take ashwin and others?

[Ashwin]

Well the test doesn't seem complicated,but I don't think I have a firewall,missed the online armor++ from GOTD[actually there is way/trick to install software later]
BTW,I personally want to know which is the best firewall,Online armor++,Sygate,Jettico,Outpost,etc.
Even though comodo scored 1st first place in matousec,I have doubts bcoz I read that they use our gathered info. to advertisers which goes against privacy.Maybe this info. is also included in their EULA too,sad comodo free firewall definitely has potential to provide good security yet they are doing this probably for money I guess.

What's you take ashwin and others?

Hi Vivek,

A need for a firewall depends on what anti-virus solution you use.
If you have an Internet security suite like Kaspersky you probably do not require a firewall.
Mostly because it wouldnt let you install one.
Take the leaktest and see for yourself, (no harm to your PC even if you dont have a firewall, trust me)

My current realtime security: (Dont use this if you have a slow computer)
I use Comodo Firewall 4.0, Spyware terminator 2.3(old version but with the latest updates) with Realtime shield,HIPS and Web security guard and Norton Internet Security. (Norton's smart firewall blocks intrusions and known threats, thats why i use Comodo)

I would recommend PCtools firewall, it is the editor's pick in Majorgeeks.com

http://majorgeeks.com/downloads34.html

PCtools firewall is incompatible with my NIS. But you can try it.

Other recommendations are Outpost free, Outpost Pro
6 months license for Outpost Pro here

http://www.binterest.com/free-giveaway-outpost-6-7-firewall-pro-for-180-days/

Glad you performed the test. Of course it wasnt complicated, but some people might have been intimidated by the very word "Virus".

And what is the trick that you talk about using GAOD software later???
Is it the temp file trick created during installation or something else? Could you share it with us?

[vivek]

Ashwin,
To be honest I don't if it's the temp file trick or not,googled it and I found the below links,let me know what's clear and right.

Code:

You Must Be Registered and Logged On To View "URL" BBCode Contents...

Code:

You Must Be Registered and Logged On To View "URL" BBCode Contents...

[Ashwin]

Ashwin,
To be honest I don't if it's the temp file trick or not,googled it and I found the below links,let me know what's clear and right.

Code:

You Must Be Registered and Logged On To View "URL" BBCode Contents...

Code:

You Must Be Registered and Logged On To View "URL" BBCode Contents...

Vivek, these are the temp file tricks that i told you earlier :-)

Knew this before, but havent tested it.

[Avinash]

Grr asked me, if Raymond posts or references are allowed here?

I would just like to say, This forum isn't like Raymond. So anything good and legal is allowed here till it is required for the article.

Obviously copying whole article is not allowed.

[Ashwin]

Grr asked me, if Raymond posts or references are allowed here?

I would just like to say, This forum isn't like Raymond. So anything good and legal is allowed here till it is required for the article.

Obviously copying whole article is not allowed.

Personally, i dont think Raymond's posts or references should be posted here.
Im pretty sure that they are keeping an eye on this website.
It would just bring more unwanted trouble from their side.

Im not suggesting this should be a rule, but a moral policy keeping our friend Avinash's comfort in our minds.

[vivek]

We can always go to Raymond's blog read whatever is useful there!

Personally, i dont think Raymond's posts or references should be posted here.
Im pretty sure that they are keeping an eye on this website.
It would just bring more unwanted trouble from their side.

Im not suggesting this should be a rule, but a moral policy keeping our friend Avinash's comfort in our minds.

Yes I totally agree on what Ashwin has said,though Grr is a member of Raymond's Forum,he should not post anything from there as it against there rules.Again what Ashwin has said is right we should not bring any kind of trouble or problem to our Admin. and Friend Avinash after what has transpired earlier.

[kavin]

@vivek: The usage of a Firewall depends on the purpose you use your computer for.
If you use it just for browsing pages and searching for stuffs, the practically windows firewall that comes in handy with your os is just enough.
But if you use up your system for testing out things and for buying or selling online, then its damn sure that you need a best firewall for it.

My personal preference is Online Armour. Both free and paid versions are good. Outpost Firewall is equally good, but doesn't attract me to the extend as Online Armour.

P.S:- The rule of Raymond.cc is simple. "No posting of Avinashtech stuffs here". Posting Raymond's articles here isn't considered offensive as far as i know. And for an info, nobody there is spying here as they (including me) have already left the matter. Avinash too confirmed his part that he don't have any problem in posting Raymond.cc articles here. So i don't find a problem with it.

[vivek]

@vivek: The usage of a Firewall depends on the purpose you use your computer for.
If you use it just for browsing pages and searching for stuffs, the practically windows firewall that comes in handy with your os is just enough.
But if you use up your system for testing out things and for buying or selling online, then its damn sure that you need a best firewall for it.

My personal preference is Online Armour. Both free and paid versions are good. Outpost Firewall is equally good, but doesn't attract me to the extend as Online Armour.

P.S:- The rule of Raymond.cc is simple. "No posting of Avinashtech stuffs here". Posting Raymond's articles here isn't considered offensive as far as i know. And for an info, nobody there is spying here as they (including me) have already left the matter. Avinash too confirmed his part that he don't have any problem in posting Raymond.cc articles here. So i don't find a problem with it.

Hey kavin thanks friend for your suggestion,but I am still not convinced between firewalls of online armor[don't get me wrong OA firewall is top-class no doubts about it],Sygate,Jotti and Outpost.I am searching for it.
As far a Raymond.cc rule is that you can post links to his site not the entire articles here itself,I hope it clear now!
BTW welcome to the forum.