Do You Run a Software Firewall Behind A NAT Router?

I was wondering in your personal situations at home if you run software firewalls if you are behind a NAT router?

I haven't been using a software firewall for a long time because I am always at home behind my WRT54G with DD-WRT.

 

I use the router as my firewall so I don't use a software firewall. I debated about both and ended up going with the nat router since it's less hassle for me to keep up with, other than the occasional disconnect. hehehee =)

 

I use both. Can't be too safe.

 

Yup. But since i didn't want another program installed that i neede to manage, i went with windows built-in firewall

 

The benefits of a hardware NAT firewall is that it is a dedicated machine that doesn't take processing time from your computer, and will block most everything by default, and do quite well at it. The benefits of a proper software firewall is that it can react to any programs running on your computer (your hardware firewall can't) so it can prevent trojans and such from opening listening ports, as well as give you finer grained control over programs, such as never allowing stuff like, say, Word to access the Internet.

I leave both on, primarily because I use my notebook on so many networks that I may or may not trust. I run Linux on all the "hardwired" systems in my house, so they don't really need any more of a firewall on them.

 

Pitabred, i would like to thank you for the time you spend answering all of our questions in this forum. Your answers reflect a knowlegeable person who know what he is talking about.

 

I use zonealarm behind a hardware firewall, and like the control I get in being able selectively disallowing software to access the internet.

 

As far as firewalls are concerned, hardware supplements software ones. You can't do without a software firewalls (say zonealarm), but you don't have to have a hardware router. In today's world of trojans, spyware, and viruses, I just can't imagine ever turning or not installing my software firewall.

 

Thanks I've learned the hard way, and I just want to give other people an easier way to understand what I do now thanks to people helping me in forums, IRC, etc. But the best way to thank me is to do the same for other people, teach them what you know, but make sure they learn and don't do it for them

 

i use my linksys wrt54g as my hardware firewall. being that the router runs off linux, its very efficient and heavily customizable. an additional software firewall is not necc. For most people, it would not hurt though.

 

That's the same way for me. Anything my friends do to mess up their computer, I've done it or something similar, so I can easily fix it for them.

 

The one that comes with Vista seems to be friendly and work, so I use it.

 

I have the software firewall on even if my computer is behind a hardware firewall, so in the unlikely situation that hackers manage to break the hardware firewall, they still have to get past the software firewall before they can start messing with my system.