How Secure is Windows Firewall?
If you ask 100 Windows users what they think of Microsoft when it comes to security, you are likely to get a few negative responses. Microsoft has replaced the old internet connection firewall with the new Windows Firewall which is turned on by default. It should be noted that Windows Firewall is not as secure as MS would want you to believe since it does half the job a commercial firewall would do; which is to block both incoming and outgoing traffic. Windows Firewall only blocks or patrols incoming traffic and it can be easily turned off by another application, possibly a worm. We will look at how well Windows Firewall does at blocking incoming traffic by pinning it against several tests which scan for open ports and possible exploits. The tests, provided by PCFlank.com, include a Stealth Test, an Advanced Port Scanner test and an Exploit Test. The tests were run on a system running Windows XP with Service Pack 2.
