Firewalls: Necessity in Question

[kram 2.0]

I'll get right to the point - so <i>how</i> necessary exactly are firewalls? I'm contemplating on whether it is necessary to get one on my desktop (Win98SE), because from what I see, NOD32 seems to be an effective enough AV that can seek out almost all of what comes in as viri. Seems that many people here do recommend the free firewalls (Sygate, Kerio, Zonealarm), but to what extent is it necessary in surfing the internet today? I have an always on broadband connection.

Thanks,
kram

[Panama Red]

You're a prime target for port scanners to find you. Unlike XP, 98 has no native firewall, so you need something to "hide" behind. Personally, I'd recommend buying a router instead of adding software to your system. 98 has enough challenges in my view. A router provides a hardware firewall and you appear invisible to the web. Some will argue that a router won't stop outgoing, but sensible and cautious use of email along with a solid updated anti virus should keep you in the clear.

[CaptTuna]

NOt all virii are caught by AV software. Some are so new they have to infect before computers before AV makers even know to screen for them.
People who have always on broadband without firewalls of some kind are just asking for trouble.
A firewall wheather behind a router or some software is a very smart investment.

[GhostRecon]

Firewalls are very necessary! Blocks unauthorized access to your computer most of the time :) ZoneAlarm is a good firewall.

[Nuclear Krusader]

They are not necessary. They are indispensable. Period.

[Panama Red]

Here's some good info from the Zone Alarm site.

http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/catalog/whyFirewall.jsp?lid=chp_learn

[Nuclear Krusader]

Another very good one:

www.kerio.com

[kram 2.0]

Thanks for the replies so far. It seems that firewalls might be necessary. I'm still contemplating whether a hardware firewall (router) is good enough - I have a netgear wireless router and my desktop is connected through a Wi-FI 802.11b connection.

Now onto the question - <i>how much</I> RAM and CPU space in a typical system does a firewall take? I've heard Kerio uses very little resources, and it is very effective. I'm really trying to use minimal resources on my Win98SE desktop - it's 348 SDRAM, but a 500 Celeron and 10.2 GB HDD. It should soon be replaced by the new system in my signature, but while it is slightly outdated, with Win98SE as its OS, it still seems to work fine.

Thanks,
kram

[Cricket]

If you're already using a router with a firewall, you really don't need a software firewall (unless you want to track stuff being sent out from your computer).

Kerio and Sygate don't use too much resources (at least, not as much as Zone Alarm does).

:) Cricket

[glc]

Your router should be sufficient if you have a good AV and use good common sense.

[kram 2.0]

Now I'm starting to question whether my router does have a firewall - from what I read, it seems like all routers have firewalls. My router came relatively inexpensively - it was about 20 USD with rebate at CircuitCity. It's a Netgear. I believe it is ,a href="http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=33-122-011&depa=0">this one</a> - the Netgear MR814NA. Any thoughts as to whether this might have a builtin hardware firewall?

Thanks,
kram

[james8547]

You can check if you're behind a firewall by subjecting your router to online scan test. I use ShieldsUp from www.grc.com and the port scanner from www.blackcode.com

[glc]

NAT (network address translation) in itself is a firewall as you have none of your private IP addresses directly exposed to the Internet.

[kram 2.0]

Fantastic. My IPs are all dynamic (changing frequently) and so my identity is less than identifiable? I will just keep my NOD32 and see how things go, presuming that my router will stop a lot of incoming junk. Thanks for all your help :)

Thanks,
kram