Do gamers have their own firewall?

Hi forum members,

If security is vital for you, and you are a gamer, you have special wishes to restrict the contacts you are making with other parties,
there are special firewalls for that purpose, and one is Gohstwall.
Low in resource comsumption, specially built for all sort of restrictions. Look here:
http://www.ghostsecurity.com/index.php?page=ghostwall

Who uses this special firewall or another of this class of firewalls.

Greets,

polonus

This maybe just what i need on this fu… slow adsl i have.I’ll try it out tomorrow for sure.

I use CHX that works in a very low level on windows…

Much more powerful than GhostWall, but GhostWall is also good…

Windows XP SP2 firewall. Best you can get for gaming. Forget about ZoneAlarm if you’re a hardcore online gamer. Pings and traffic will be a mess…

Can we trust in CHX or GhostWall?
Does GhostWall blocks outbound traffic?

Does that provide outbound protection as well?
If so sounds good.
XP might well be very light but it provides no outbound protection.

This thread is about gamers I believe (judging by the name of the thread), and they pretty much do not need outbound protection while playing those games.

EDIT: also, I remember we mentioned this firewall once in this forum. Anyone interested, take a look in here:

http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=9671.msg140437#msg140437

and continues here:

http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=9671.msg141149#msg141149

Is it reliable enough ? …you people decide. :wink:

You can trust in them :wink:
Both have outbound with rules…

I’m well aware it is about gamers and firewalls which may be better for them, but what is to stop something undetected and on your system getting out. Is there no possibility of something getting in whilst on-line gaming.

I only ask this because I haven’t done any online gaming, what if something is downloaded from the gaming site during initial connection, etc.?

I don’t play games either… but I mentioned that just because I know when they play those games, especially online ones, last thing they need is some system resource hog. They want to “fly” as smooth as possible. Since RejZoR is well known expert, I am sure he is 100% aware what are WinXp SP2 firewall’s Pros and Cons… he spoke about Win SP2 firewall, just because of the same thing I mentioned up there… they need something light. I don’t play games, but I have one “crazy” gamer close to my building, and I know how touchy they are when it comes to something that “eats” their system’s resources while shooting, driving, and flying around…

They should be quite safe as well as long as they are under modern hardware firewalls if the game apps themselves do not turn out to be mal/spyware.

About malware related with gaming, there are some copy protections such as StarForce, which is installed without EULA although it isn’t as malicious as infamous Sony rootkit.

I gave up on online gaming at least until i can change my ISP and go VDSL…I have to admit that when i was playing online i always had to turn off my SW firewall(Kerio) and rely solely on my router to protect me otherwise the pings would be too much…But sure it would be nice if i could have a nice SW firewall with outbound protection that would be light on resources and not kill my pings.

Hello gamer,

Like now possible for browsers, it is also possible to save your firewall distribution to a USB pen drive, so you have your personal firewall always with you wherever you play (make sure you do not run two main firewalls at the time, always to be avoided).
With a firewall distro on a CD or flash disk, certain cracking techniques are not available for intruders, and that should also be taken into the bargain. Devil-linux for instance is a firewall that runs on a CD and for that reason is not open to rootkits. Clever, if you come to think of it, isn’t it.

polonus

Interesting idea but is this ease of use? Does this work on Windows? Also, is this recommendable non-gamers as well?

Yes Umath,

If it is a windows distributions, this could be done. You know, and you can find it on the net that Firefox in total can be saved on a flash drive and taken inside your waistcoat breast-pocket, why not a windows firewall like Ghostwall. Just like a firewall is run from a CD certain cracking techniques are not available for remote intruders, and that is a re-assuring thought. If the technique is there, why not use it for the benefit of all. And of course what is benevolent for the gamer, can be security-wise for the general user as well. Put your firewall in your USB partition, and be protected. Why I have to think of this, and not somebody before thought about this? Only you have to switch from general fw to USB loaded fw.

greets,

polonus

If it were a Windows distribution :frowning:

Also, Portable Fox is specially converted version of Firefox. I wonder if Windows firewalls are designed to be used in this way in mind. I liked the idea, though. :stuck_out_tongue:

Hi Umath,

A portable firewall for gamers, somebody will implement it, no sweat,
and if it is a success it will also mean the end of the hidden rootkit problem.
Umah, we wait for the one who ports this. Maybe Sasza is the one to do this
with some help from his friends. Never try, never gain a thing is a true saying in this old world.

greets,

polonus

Well, how about you, polonus? (chuckles)

Jokes aside, I tend to like lighter apps but I cannot think of a single firewall which can make heavy 3D online gamers happy. Probably too many blotwares on Windows…

[Edit] Yes, I meant bloatware, which should be uncountable, too. However, in my school days, I was tought that mail is uncountable although quite many native English speakers say “e-mails” nowadays…

Hi Umath,

Well I have seen that there is a lot being developed in the range of ported versions, a complete portable Open Office, a portable Antivirus program under development now, so why not a good lean firewall. Because it uses dma and is very cpu friendly. What you mean by blotware, do you mean bloatware?, and then yes, I fully agree with you, they do it all these days to keep Intel happy.

greets,

polonus

I think that having the Firewall on USB is the same as on another Partition or Disk…

On a CD, you have write protection, but the processes can also be killed, and listen the CD driver…

Until now, the firewall that use less system resources and delay connections, was CHX, but like I said required “some” knowledge and its Forum are very good when we need help… :wink:

Some of you already use a HIPS program (I’m still waiting for a one that fits what I like…), and with these kind of firewalls (CHX or GhostWall), you will be very well protected with very low recources and speed!