Black Ice

[theHNIC]

If anybody uses this...what are its advantages/disadvantages

[DoPeY5007]

huh what are you talking about???...

[DoPeY5007]

Originally posted by chosenfool
black ice defender, right? the firewall software program?

that's what I thought, just wasn't sure...


yeah i heard it is good as well, but never used it.....

[theHNIC]

Yes, I'm talking about BlackIce Defender. I've had it for about 6 months now, and just now decided to install it cause I was bored. I don't know how to configure it properly though, so i'll probably just leave it alone. Maybe someone here can help



p.s. My computer now knows if your naughty or nice

[Leon]

BlackIce is okay... Zonealarm is a lot better. Plus, it's free! Get it from www.zonelabs.com

[Nija]

I use zonealaram. i like it.. although sometimes the alerts get annoying, i always remember that it's for my safety (and the safety of others.. ;P)

nija

[g222leav]

Originally posted by chosenfool


i like zonealarm though - such a simple no brainer program, plus it detects anything OUTGOING.

i know that black ice is a great firewall, the only problem with it (according to some review i read somewhere) was that it didn't catch any outgoing...such as spyware, taht sends your info out. i didn't like zonealarm, i use conseal with seems to work nice. i'm on a 56k, and was extremely surprised at all the port scans that i get hit with.

[ArkiStan]

all this security software... I haven't been hit by any bad experiences so I really don't feel the need for anything like that (yet)...Do you guys know any good stories of incidents when you or somebody else greatly benefited by having these firewall programs? What are good examples of why I would want something like this??

[g222leav]

i know that it makes setting up an ftp a pain in teh arse

[topane]

I use zonealarm, simply because it's good and free

[Nanotech9]

Originally posted by g222leav
i know that it makes setting up an ftp a pain in teh arse

no it doesnt, nor does it hinder running a webserver.

in fact, i suggest using it w/ ftp/web server systems.

[oblongmelon]

I had blackice until my networking instructor told us that black ice had some back door something or another written into the code and that it doesnt block trojans or virus's...THATS WHAT I WAS TOLD..I'm not sure if it's true..I use zone alarm though. Even my employer has zone alarm (free version) on his servers in the office so it must be good.You might want to read this...
http://www.sans.org/infosecFAQ/malicious/zombie.htm
scroll down to the AM I AT RISK section..

also..check this link out for rating firewalls..
http://grc.com/lt/scoreboard.htm

[Markel]

Originally posted by ucbstan
What are good examples of why I would want something like this??

Microsoft software. 'nuf said.

[oblongmelon]

Originally posted by DarkFury


Ummm... YUP! That information was posted on Steve Gibson's website (Gibson Research). Here's a link to the "Personal Firewall Scoreboard" on his site: http://grc.com/lt/scoreboard.htm

By this, you could say that Black Ice Defender Sucks... Just go get Zone Alarm and put it behind a hardware router/firewall. You should be "fairly" safe then.

(Dayuum... Obby beat me to it. I hadn't read all the way down before responding to the quote from g222leav. Sorry bout that!)

hey DF, nice avatar...I want a cool one too..*sulk*.

[Markel]

Originally posted by oblongmelon
hey DF, nice avatar...I want a cool one too..*sulk*.

Well obby, you're only about 400 posts away. (<gulp> I hope I don't get in trouble for mentioning a number of posts....)

[aglio412]

i've used both...happier with zone alarm...

well not too happy considering i'm building a hardware firewall as we speak...now if i could just get these crappy NICs to work...

beh!

[ribitch]

In my office we use both black ice and zone alarm. I hate zone alarm. Its constantly nagging to allow permission to access certain things. It also seems to forget allot of its settings. I know most people like zonealarm, but it really really pisses me off.

I say go blackice.

[Markel]

Originally posted by Markel

Microsoft software. 'nuf said.

Actually, to add to my own quote, the need for a firewall isn't limited to Microsoft software (although they make a good argument for it). There are enough hackers out there with nothing better to do than to run port scans to try to find vulnerable machines to install their 'bots on so they can use YOUR system (and IP address) for some of their dastardly deeds. (Or you might become infected through a downloaded file.) A good firewall can go along way in protecting you from being a victim or being used by them. ZoneAlarm has been shown to put you into "stealth" mode by blocking and not responding to such probes, effectively making appear that your computer does not exist. It will block outbound traffic from Trojans, etc., and ask you if you want to give the application access. If you have a full time (or nearly so) connection (cable, DSL, etc.) you should need it. I would never be without a good firewall.

[g222leav]

Originally posted by aglio412
i've used both...happier with zone alarm...

well not too happy considering i'm building a hardware firewall as we speak...now if i could just get these crappy NICs to work...

beh!

bad hard drive, failure due to incoming virus(s) and various hackers.......

solution: replace nic!

oh yea, i like your avatar DF (as previously mentioned) did you borrow that model from the icyhotstunaz?

[theHNIC]

Originally posted by Leon
BlackIce is okay... Zonealarm is a lot better. Plus, it's free! Get it from www.zonelabs.com

BlackIce was free as well

[Burzhui]

Go with ZoneAlarm... it's much better then black ice... black ice leaks out not all but some info from ur comp via certain spyware progs

[Markel]

Originally posted by chosenfool

anyway, i just permanently refused it permission...

I did the same thing to keep Realplayer quite. I also disabled it's tray app. I hate Realplayer, except that it can be nice to have at times.

[theHNIC]

Originally posted by Markel

I did the same thing to keep Realplayer quite. I also disabled it's tray app. I hate Realplayer, except that it can be nice to have at times.

I also disable the startup of RealPlayer....but everytime another program uses it, it goes back to the startup tray....is there a way around this

[theHNIC]

Originally posted by DarkFury

Too bad it SUCKS though!

Do yourself a favor, uninstall it and get ZoneAlarm. At least that one does what it is supposed to do.

I'll try ZoneAlarm when I get home today, thanks

[Markel]

Originally posted by gotmilk
I also disable the startup of RealPlayer....but everytime another program uses it, it goes back to the startup tray....is there a way around this

I just shut its tray app "off" using StartupCop.

[BrewMaster]

I know nothing about this firewall crap. Moo.

[Burzhui]

Originally posted by BrewMaster
I know nothing about this firewall crap. Moo.

hmmm, really? what was you IP address again?

[sbp]

Originally posted by ucbstan
all this security software... I haven't been hit by any bad experiences so I really don't feel the need for anything like that (yet)...Do you guys know any good stories of incidents when you or somebody else greatly benefited by having these firewall programs? What are good examples of why I would want something like this??

Just like anti-virus software?

http://www.gotapex.com/forums/showth...hlight=ucbstan

[fakesurfers]

Thumbs down on black ice, but any firewall is better than no firewall. 'Hacking' is an act of opportunity. Think of Anti-Virus software as pulling the keys out of the car and a firewall as locking the doors. Most troublemakers will move on and bother your idiot neighbor or mother-in-law.