there's no getting around the user, but it's probably safe (
) to assume that most here are reasonably savvy about the dangers
I have heard several opinions expressed regarding the relative value of outbound firewalling, but can't help but consider it essential
I'm on dialup so a router isn't an option, and like Nosh, I hoard my bandwidth and really <i>really</i> don't like the idea of anything calling out (regardless of it's intent) without my knowledge.
Basically I see it as just another tool, a means of identifying a potential infection/compromise, and given that most infections these days are likely to come from inside your firewall (see StoicJokers input above regarding PEBKAC* problems) it would seem prudent to implement this feature.
it's also hard to take a recommendation from <i>any</i> of the discussions I've seen so far. For every person who has a good experience of firewall X, there is at least one with bad...
Not much said about the other options (AV, antispy/malware) so far - as Lashiec said, there are heaps of choices out there, but what to choose??
Do we <i>really</i> need spyware detection? Do we <i>really</i> need ad blocking? Do we <i>really</i> need a trojan hunter? Do we <i>really</i> need <insert you're choice here>?
and if we do, how do we measure it's effectiveness/value?
Personally I've used both Spybot and AdAware (and probably others) at various times and found little benefit from either - maybe I've been lucky, who knows, but the upkeep certainly wasn't worth the returns.
Another thought occurs to me - just what is the real danger here?
others have referred to this obliquely, but are we so caught up in the general hype surrounding the latest crop of super wonder mega fireproof antimalware pro apps that we've lost sight of what it is we're actually trying to guard against? Is the threat <i>really</i> as serious as industry and the media would have us believe?
I've seen references that these days virii don't seem to be destructive (ie they don't trash you're data/hardware). If this is the case, and I suspect it is, then what are they doing, sending spam emails? if this is the worst of it then it doesn't seem like a serious issue (apart from the potential liability issues
). What about fraud/identity theft? is this a common problem that could be minimised using the available tools? (this isn't a problem for me - I have a simple rule about this stuff, if I don't want anyone to know, or I can't afford to lose it, I don't keep it on my PC. I know this isn't practical/possible for everyone, but the sentiment stands)
Target
* PEBKAC - <b>P</b>roblem <b>E</b>xists <b>B</b>etween <b>K</b>eyboard <b>A</b>nd <b>C</b>hair
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), or the ability to identify and/or deal with any such breach
) but you could try the following - 
