windows firewall sufficient?

[dede]

under control panel, i see that windows firewall is on but is set to allow two exc eptions: 1) file & printer sharing, & 2) remote assistance---is it normal & advisable to allow these 2 exceptions?

is windows firewall a software or hardware firewall?

i have norton antivus, windows defender, windows firewall & hijackthis on my system which operating on  MS windows XP.  are these sufficient to protect pc?  thanks so much, dede

[Rob Pomeroy]

Your firewall should not allow anything you're not actually using.  File and print sharing should only be allowed if you actually use it on the network - and then only to allow connections from/to your LAN.  Are you using remote assistance?  If not, switch it off at the firewall.

XP's firewall is a software firewall - i.e. not a dedicated bit of hardware, and it only can protect the PC on which it is installed.  Hardware firewalls typically make a greater level of security possible, although not against attacks within your LAN (i.e. trojans).

Any firewall, badly configured, is as useful as a chocolate fireguard.

No security is "sufficient", in the sense that any system can be hacked, given enough time and skill.  Your main aim is to present as difficult a target as possible to crackers, so that they will simply move on to an easier target.  You also need to ensure that your computer is unattractive to them in other ways - no big signs on the internet saying "lots of yummy financial data thisaway!"  You may chuckle, but corporate cracking is fairly big (underground) business.

[dede]

thanks rob.  you mentioned:
File and print sharing should only be allowed if you actually use it on the network - and then only to allow connections from/to your LAN.  Are you using remote assistance?  If not, switch it off at the firewall.


I have dial up internet connection & assume I do not use file & print sharing & don't need remote assistance---sound right to you?  

can you recommend a hardware firewall that would provide additional protection & function well w/ my norton antivus, windows defender & windows firewall?  thank you, dede

[Rob Pomeroy]

If you don't share any files between computers on your home network then you don't need file and print sharing.  If yuo've just got the one computer, then you don't this.  You can switch off remote assistance too.  Sounds like you don't use it.

Since you're on dialup, unless you're connected to the internet for long periods at a time, you can probably do without a hardware firewall.  It is pretty essential (in my view) with broadband and other "always on" internet connections.
I can't recommend any particular hardware firewall - I haven't used enough different ones.  And some that I have used have been the large corporate ISP firewalls - overkill for a home user.