quote: [Network Shield:
A new resident protection module was added to avast! 4.5: the Network Shield. This module provides protection against known Internet worms/attacks. It analyzes all network traffic and scans for malicious content. It can be viewed as a lightweight firewall (or, more precisely, an IDS (Intrusion Detection System)). ]
and discovered (with horror!) that Avast DOES NOT not change the status of the common TCP/IP ports to stealth, as I would expect from any sort of lightweight/heavyweight software/hardware firewall!
As a matter of fact the most common and dangerous TCP/IP ports used to attack a system (not already protected from a firewall), i.e. 80, 135, 443 and so on, ARE OPEN, while the other ones are CLOSED.
So, in my opinion, defining Avast as a “lightweight firewall” is dangerously misleading and substantially incorrect.
What about clearly explaining that Avast IS NOT a Firewall and that you need a real Hw/Sw firewall to work in combination with Avast, or alternatively insert a real firewall module into Avast?
Network Shield is a protection against known Internet worms/attacks. It analyses all network traffic and scans it for malicious contents. It can be also taken as a lightweight firewall (or more precisely, an IDS (Intrusion Detection System). Network Shield protects you from internet worms that spread themselves via various security holes in your system. Typicaly these kind of viruses don’t infect files but instead they attack running processes on your PC (either Windows components or some server programs like SQL Server, IIS etc.). These kind of attacks are not easily catched by ordinary antivirus during file or mail scanning. It is not a duplicate work with Standard Shield.
Yeah, it’s not a suite - thanks God it’s not a bloatware! - it is only an antivirus.
This description should be changed, as far I know, in a new avast version.
I agree the description should be changed, probably more like the wording in the paragraph from the avast help file, rather than call it a lightweight firewall.
Network Shield provider protects your computer from Internet worm attacks. It works similarly to a firewall, even though it does not fully substitutes it. The Network Shield does not require any user interraction.
Yes, that’s why I love Avast! It’s just a damn good antivirus-program and not another “bloatware-we-fill-our-program-with-much-stuff-oh-yeah” program! ;D
When ever you get an alert from Network Shield, it means:
Your firewall is not configured correctly for inbound connections and you are vulnerable in internet.
XP SP2 firewall even takes care of that, but it is nice avast has this warning indicator for people using 3rd party FW’s.
There are other sites like Shields Up! to check your protection too.
And it is good, if for some reason the firewall you are running, should stop, that Network Shield it will give you an alert.