Comodo Free Firewall Forums

zulurita

I did follow the Comodo link in another post and tried the free Test to see if my laptop had enough protection. It said there were 3 test levels and mine failed the First one, i.e. type in some random text and do the test and Comodo came back with what I typed and they shouldn't have been able to see my text nor should I have been able to see it when the test result came back Sad

So now, although I have had zonealarm for years I'm wondering should I change to this Comodo free firewall, never heard of it before but looking at the other post, AVG free, it would seem it is good. So am I safe to download this Free firewall from Comodo? I am obviously concerned that what I maybe typing e.g. when ordering stuff over internet might be intercepted by some unscrupulous hacker.

spykal · Moderator

Hi Zulurita

I will check out the problem you are describing.... I would not worry unduly.. zonealarm is used by many and all agree it is up to scratch.

It sounds like the your PC ( Internet explorer) is allowing your clipboard to be checked by a website... not a disaster and can be easily fixed.
Go

spykal · Moderator

Hi again

well I have now had a chance to look at the test you have done at Comodo.

And no it is not the clipboard problem that I described above ...

I have just found the tests you describe and they involve the user (you)dowloading a test program which then tries to transmit text that is written into a test box...... this is simulating a trojan type of activity... if your computer failed this test then it may need some adjustment to the settings on Zonelab.

Now we need a Zonelab expert to join the thread.. and try the test to find an answer. Although I understand what is happening I am not a zonealarm user so I do not know it inside out and anyway without it on a computer here I cannot test it Rolling Eyes

The Comodo test is a little unfair ( but so is the internet) as it invites you to download a program which of course you would not do normally..and your firewall would not allow this to happen without your knowledge... but it is interesting and if we can find that Zonelab expert maybe we can solve this for you.

I must admit to being impressed with the claims at the Comodo site and some of the reviews they get but having only found the site yesterday it is too soon for me to advise... I have already found that some people have had problems once they had installed eithe the AV or firewall from Comodo.... but that applies to almost all firewalls and AV progs ... AVG and Zonealarm included. Rolling Eyes

spykal · Moderator

Hi Zulurita

Just to make you feel a bit better Laughing

I have what is regarded to be the best type of firewall a router with hardware firewall and that test has just beaten it and the teaxt I typed was intercepted and transmitted out of my PC. More investigation needed but still DONT Panic (yet)

mike

zulurita

Thanks Mike.

Maybe I will stick with zonealarm for now and delete that comodo program that I used for the test. I have IE6 as I heard there were some issues with IE7 so thought I would wait before installing IE7.

Basically I have been looking at buying a new desktop or laptop as I am going over to talktalk for their Broadband. My old desktop is win98 2nd ed. However one local place I went to said my free avg and zonealarm wasn't good enough for broadband! I know they wanted me to have their anti virus etc if I bought a desktop from them but it got me wondering if my free versions were ok or not for broadband.

thanks again.

spykal · Moderator

Hi Zulurita

The little test program that you downloaded does not install on your PC and can only do "its thing" when you run it by double clicking on it. So no need to remove it, unlees it is just to tidy up.. it seems that it is harmless as a file.

Thanks for posting your findings .... It will take a while to establish just what the test prog is doing and whether it has found a real weakness.

Still hoping that an IT member with Zonealarm experience will apper in here.

Mike

geraldandannie · Moderator

Hi, Rita

The only difference broadband makes is that your connection is always on, which means if you're computer is also on, nasties can get in. So a firewall is essential. If you buy a router for home (wired or wireless), they often come with hardware firewalls built in.

Sorry - not a Zonealarn expert, but I would echo Mike's comments, that it certainly seems good enough for a very large number of users. Sad

Gerald

Willy9b

Nobody has mentioned Steve Gibson yet.

He's an expert in PC online security and lots of his stuff is free Very Happy

'Shields up' is an excellent utility for checking how vulnerable your PC is currently, and isn't *too* techie! You'll find it here, just look in 'hot spots':

zulurita

Thanks everyone,
Just tried "Shields up" clicked on the File section and my computer passed. Didn't know if I should click on the other sections or not.

Bit puzzled re reverse DNS and the number that came up to do with my IP.

Think I will stick with avg and zonealarm for now as it seems to be working ok. I also have windows defender. Haven't tried avg spyware yet as it was a trial version and you pay after that. Would like something for email spam, Tiscali is supposed to cut out the spam on one of my email addressess but doesn't do it on the other one unless I pay for 2. Not impressed really as the first email address still gets spam.