jwcolby
jwcolby at colbyconsulting.com
Thu Dec 27 19:47:32 CST 2007
I like the firewall. The Active defense thing is a good idea if they can make it useful but not too intrusive. Comodo firewall is very highly rated and free as opposed to Norton which sucks and costs a lot, every year. John W. Colby Colby Consulting www.ColbyConsulting.com -----Original Message----- From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of pcs at azizaz.com Sent: Thursday, December 27, 2007 8:40 PM To: Access Developers discussion and problemsolving Subject: Re: [AccessD] OT: Comodo Firewall Thanks for reply.... after I pressed the send button I googled Help on the Active Defense thingie ... apparently the Purge option will delete file entries from the Pending List for your Review for files that are no longer on your system (temp files used during installation etc.) It was also recommended to place the thingie in Learning mode for a couple of weeks and then place it back to PC Clean.... I think I'll stick with the Comodo for a little while longer... I like it when it pops up and says program B is trying to use Program A do you allow it to do that? For example I have a little app that came preinstalled on the laptop called PowerForPhone - never used it - suddenly it was trying to get intimate with Skype... hmmmm...you just don't know what's going on under the plastic cover.... What I would like to do next would be to get full clarity of all the different processes running on the computer, and turn does off I have no use for. Any application out there that can help me with that? Happy new year! Borge ---- Original message ---- >Date: Thu, 27 Dec 2007 09:25:22 -0500 >From: "jwcolby" <jwcolby at colbyconsulting.com> >Subject: Re: [AccessD] OT: Comodo Firewall >To: "'Access Developers discussion and problem solving'" <accessd at databaseadvisors.com> > >In which case turn off the proactive defense thing. IMHO that part is not >ready for prime time. IIRC Comodo has several million installed users and >the majority have no problems but some of us do (me too). The Review / >Pending thing is you telling Comodo that the files are OK, you approve of >them. The huge number occurs as Comodo does the initial scan of your >system. I think that there is a "select all" and you can then "approve". >Basically that is telling the Active Defense thingie that these files are >known to be good and stop worrying about them. > >I am not a security guru, I just use it. My understanding of the Active >Defense thingie is that it is a monitor that does several things. > >1) Watches what programs load and alerts you to any not on the "OK list", >those being possibly infections that slipped in some how. >2) Watches running applications to see how they interact. Programs "use" >each other all the time. FoxFire "uses" quick time to display or play >something etc. Supposedly you tell the Active monitor ONCE that it is OK >for program A to use program B. If the interaction is not in the OK list >then you are warned that the interaction is happening. >3) Watches that programs try to modify the registry. This is waay more >common that I realized but occurs mostly at install and so can signal that a >nasty is installing itself, or that it is attempting to disable another >program (AV, firewall etc). > >So Active Defense is a program that sits in memory and watches Windows do >its job looking for signs of danger, keeping a list of which things you say >are OK and alerting you to things that you have not said is OK. These >"Active Defense" programs are becoming more common as the normal infection >vector (email) becomes the least used vector. Nowadays the most common >vector is malformed HTML, but that is certainly not the only vector. >Messenger, file sharing programs, Office documents (and now access >databases), PDF files, pictures, music, all of these things have been used >to spread infections and so an "anti nasty" system has to do more than just >scan email for viruses. It pretty much has to watch Windows DYNAMICALLY run >and look for suspicious activities from moment to moment as you use your >computer. Thus "Active protection" . > >Unfortunately by its very nature it is NOT unobtrusive. All it can hope to >do is to keep track of things you say are ok and not ask you about those >things again. > >John W. Colby >Colby Consulting >www.ColbyConsulting.com >-----Original Message----- >From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com >[mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of pcs at azizaz.com >Sent: Thursday, December 27, 2007 8:15 AM >To: Access Developers discussion and problemsolving >Subject: [AccessD] OT: Comodo Firewall > > >John Colby recommended Comodo Firewall and I installed it ... > >I have no time to read all the Help etc. >I had placed the Proactive Defence to PC Clean Now I have over 7,000 files >for review / Pending Files!!?? > >What should I do? > >Apart from Purge? > >What does Move To.. My own safe files do? Does it physically move the files? > >Remove ? Does that mean remove from the list of Pending Files? What good >will that to, will the files just start accumulating again for my >review(?!). >For sure Remove wouldn't mean remove from the System - that's the Purge, >right - not in the mood to test that one out %( . > >What is your recommended setting for this Proactive Defense thing? > >I don't roam the www wildly - I just want to install a firewall and then for >the most part forget about it... > >Confused, >Borge >-- >AccessD mailing list >AccessD at databaseadvisors.com >http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd >Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com > >-- >AccessD mailing list >AccessD at databaseadvisors.com >http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd >Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com -- AccessD mailing list AccessD at databaseadvisors.com http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com