firewall Just how good is windows 10 firewall is?

[Lonelycat]

How good is the windows 10 firewall? If I wanted could I use it while I surf the Internet? Watch YouTube videos? Download programs from legitimate websites like steam? Or Windows themselves?

[KeldonSlayer]

Should be sufficient but I personally use Comodo Internet Security It's pretty light and is unobtrusive with my settings. I use the free version.

 

 

Spoiler

I use it in gamemode all the time, I disabled auto sandbox, and enabled viruscope

If you're using only Social media sites, Youtube, and trusted gaming related sites, you should be fine. Any where else, it's iffy, just know what to avoid and windows firewall should be enough.

[Lolucoca]

Let's say it's good enough if you're not a total idiot or torrent things...

[KeldonSlayer]

3 minutes ago, Lolucoca said:

Let's say it's good enough if you're not a total idiot or torrent things...

I torrent things all the time, doesn't make me an idiot, Don't torrent things from untrusted people and places. I grab torrents often but I know where to look, never got a fake/issue.

[IAcKI]

I have literally never used any software apart from window defender and have never had a virus. Just be sensible and don't download things that you're suspicious of. 

[Naeaes]

It's fine enough if you're alert yourself. Firewall doesn't provide much protection form viruses and malware thou, so you do need a antivir too. Windows comes with the defender, which again is fine enough if you're not a complete moron on-line. And it's very light and silent. If I were you, I'd have a manual malware-scanner at hand thou. Just in case. I use malwarebytes myself. 

[Lolucoca]

@KeldonSlayer I didn't say torrenting things makes you an idiot. By idiot, I meant guys who click on any ad they can find. But you have to admit that there's a little risk innvolved in torrenting things.

[Naeaes]

3 minutes ago, IAcKI said:

I have literally never used any software apart from window defender and have never had a virus. Just be sensible and don't download things that you're suspicious of. 

Not to paint the devil on the wall, but how would you know? If, say, a silent keylogger got though the scanner, how would you ever know if you never double-checked?

[Lonelycat]

Haha great answers guys. So then if you use common sense and stick to verified websites(plus people) you should be fine? So would typing passwords online be covered by Windows fire wall too?

[IAcKI]

2 minutes ago, Naeaes said:

Not to paint the devil on the wall, but how would you know? If, say, a silent keylogger got though the scanner, how would you ever know if you never double-checked?

Defender runs weekly checks to look for malicious software etc.

[SaladFingers]

It's good enough. It's not behavioral or HIPS, but if you configure it properly it is as pwoerful as any other firewall can be - it either allows stuff or blocks it. I like to use "Windows Firewall Control" which is essentially a UI for the stock Windows Firewall but with configuration you would otherwise find in a third party solution. Other Firewalls I like are ZoneAlarm and Comodo, but you should be fine with the one that comes with Windows. 

[Guest]

24 minutes ago, Lonelycat said:

How good is the windows 10 firewall? If I wanted could I use it while I surf the Internet? Watch YouTube videos? Download programs from legitimate websites like steam? Or Windows themselves?

Windows in built anti virus thing "defender" or whatever it's full name is a decent anti virus.  Get malware bytes and you should be good to go.

[SaladFingers]

Guys, he is asking about the Firewall, not Defender. Defender is an Anti-Virus/Anti-Malware.

[Naeaes]

21 minutes ago, IAcKI said:

Defender runs weekly checks to look for malicious software etc.

Of course. But surely you didn't imagine that it could ever have the signatures for all viruses in the world. Think about it.

Let's say, you spot a security hole in Windows yesterday. You keep your mouth the hell shut about it. Today, windows rolls out their monthly updates. You test if your hole still exists. It does. It still work. Windows doesn't know about the hole! So tonight you hit. You've pre-written a virus that exploits that particular hole and roll it out however the hell one would. Now riddle me this: How could defender ever react to your virus? If Microsoft is on the ball, they surely will after a week or a month. But tonight? How could they defend against you? These are called zero-day exploits. Back when MS released their updates on the second Thursday of each month called 'Patch Tuesday', the day after was called 'Exploit Wednesday'.

[IAcKI]

13 minutes ago, Naeaes said:

Of course. But surely you didn't imagine that it could ever have the signatures for all viruses in the world. Think about it.

Let's say, you spot a security hole in Windows yesterday. You keep your mouth the hell shut about it. Today, windows rolls out their monthly updates. You test if your hole still exists. It does. It still work. Windows doesn't know about the hole! So tonight you hit. You've pre-written a virus that exploits that particular hole and roll it out however the hell one would. Now riddle me this: How could defender ever react to your virus? If Microsoft is on the ball, they surely will after a week or a month. But tonight? How could they defend against you? These are called zero-day exploits. Back when MS released their updates on the second Thursday of each month called 'Patch Tuesday', the day after was called 'Exploit Wednesday'.

In my case even if they did hack my Computer it doesn't particularly bother me. I never really do any banking I have no personal Info stored on my PC they could potentially steal my email password or passwords for forums etc but all passwords are different and all my emails and accounts I care about have other authentication methods. In my case Where I like to just boot up  my PC and browse the internet or play games. Defender and Common sense is great for me.

[Lonelycat]

6 hours ago, SaladFingers said:

Guys, he is asking about the Firewall, not Defender. Defender is an Anti-Virus/Anti-Malware.

Yes I am lol thanks

 

[Naeaes]

On 3/9/2016 at 0:07 PM, SaladFingers said:

Guys, he is asking about the Firewall, not Defender. Defender is an Anti-Virus/Anti-Malware.

I've been following this discussion and it seems to me that OP thinks the firewall does some tasks that belong to antivir / antimalware programs. Stuff like this:

 

On 3/9/2016 at 11:55 AM, Lonelycat said:

So would typing passwords online be covered by Windows fire wall too?

The point being no, it wouldn't. A firewall would do it's best to prevent a program from reporting the gathered info back out to the hackers but it does nothing to prevent the act of gathering itself or even to prevent installing or running such a malicious program. Firewalls have no database of malicious programs or strings of code. You always need an antivir/antimalware for that. Hence the discussion veering toward Defender.