"The Windows Firewall is of course not new; it's already available in Windows XP SP2, but it works only one-way, that is, it only blocks malicious inbound connections. In Windows Vista, Microsoft says its new Windows Firewall is now two-way, that it adds outbound protection, but a closer look reveals...
...though Vista's outbound firewall is 'on' by default, all outbound connects that do not match a rule are allowed. In the default configuration, there are no outbound 'block' rules, only allow rules. In other words, even though [the Windows Firewall outbound protection is] on, it is not doing anything...
...Microsoft's PR agency, Waggener Edstrom, offered this defense: "If we turned on outbound filtering by default for consumers, it forces the user to make a trust decision for every application they run which touches the network...
...a weak defense, at best, of a flawed security implementation, considering that every other personal firewall on the market today doesn't do what Microsoft described above. Check Point ZoneAlarm keeps a database of known applications, as does Symantec..."
*reviews.cnet.com/4520-3513_7-66906...feat&tag=Windows+Vista's+half-cocked+firewall
*i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/happyandy/stylucm5.gif
...though Vista's outbound firewall is 'on' by default, all outbound connects that do not match a rule are allowed. In the default configuration, there are no outbound 'block' rules, only allow rules. In other words, even though [the Windows Firewall outbound protection is] on, it is not doing anything...
...Microsoft's PR agency, Waggener Edstrom, offered this defense: "If we turned on outbound filtering by default for consumers, it forces the user to make a trust decision for every application they run which touches the network...
...a weak defense, at best, of a flawed security implementation, considering that every other personal firewall on the market today doesn't do what Microsoft described above. Check Point ZoneAlarm keeps a database of known applications, as does Symantec..."
*reviews.cnet.com/4520-3513_7-66906...feat&tag=Windows+Vista's+half-cocked+firewall
*i144.photobucket.com/albums/r168/happyandy/stylucm5.gif
