Is Firewall mandatory or Necessary to Use ?

[Quimby]

hello,

I would like to know if a firewall is mandatory to Use? if so What firewall to Use ?

Thanks Regards

[Marlon]

Hello
As for antivirus: nothing is compulsory but almost everyone has to have one. and as For such a firewall is not mandatory but if you do not install it then you might (surf at risk) most likely prone to Virus.So its not mandatory but strongly recommended - Linux users and others will tell you that on their PC they are not useful and I can not say if they say true or not and whether they may risk or not.

For users of Windows (I use apple):
- AVG , NORTON -> Antivirus
- Comodo firewall(Its FREE) -> Firewall

Now I'm not saying that they are the best but it's my choice.

[Marco-D]

It all depends of your definition of 'Really necessary'.
In general terms : yes.

[Steve123]

A firewall is a great thing to use as it can restrict most 'hacker'\'viral' attempts to gain access to your pc. However, it can slow down your connection once in a while due to that it has to filter through the packets as they come through.Just you might have to disable it when playing some games online because it could restrict you from connecting to some servers or hosting a server.

[DAIJIRO]

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[Snake08]

A firewall is a program or hardware device that watches your network and Internet connection and helps block unauthorized access to your computer. The firewall controls what data can come across the thousands of ports that your computer can use to communicate with the outside world.

Think of ports as the equivalent of phone numbers for various departments within your PC, such as Web access, file sharing, video chat, and gaming. The firewall ensures that only essential ports are accessible to the outside world, closing off the others so that they can't be exploited by malware. You can choose to open ports needed by specific programs, such as games or file-sharing applications. Keep in mind that opening too many ports can reduce your security, however.

Software firewalls are programs that run on your computer and watch all network traffic coming into your computer. Windows Firewall, included as part of Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), is one example. Several third-party software manufacturers make add-on software firewalls as well.

Hardware firewalls are built into networking devices such as routers and wireless access points. Most consumer hardware firewalls only watch traffic between the network device and the Internet—they don't block traffic between computers inside your network.

[Quimby]

I have a firewall integrate with vista it is good or I have to take another? if I should take another then I can keep vista firewall or should I remove it?

[Marlon]

The firewall in Vista is able to filter the data input and output, which was not the case with his predecessor in XP. It is not bad and it is not useful to have another. This is only my opinion.

[likhary]

I think due to firewall it has to filter through the packets as they come through.Just you might have to disable it when playing some games online because it could restrict you from connecting to some servers or hosting a server.