If the code in these products is "done right", only one should
work.

  There is an internal list in Windows of software that gets to
process all network traffic in and out.  (Actually, such lists occur
at more than one level, but that's not important.)
  A "proper" firewall program must insist on installing at the very
end of the list.  If any other software can install past that point,
it could provide a way to circumvent the firewall's protections.
  The first firewall you install doesn't know, when you try to
install the second, that it too is a firewall.  All it knows is that
something wants to install further down the chain than it is.  The
firewall authors have three choices, none of them really great:

1.  Block the second installation.

2.  Detect the new end-of-chain, and automatically reposition
themselves at the end -- if both do this, it will probably lock up
the machine, at least until they run out of memory.

3.  Allow it, and potentially allow various viruses / worms / trojans
/ spyware to ALSO evade their product.

  You can probably best get what you want by running a firewall on
each workstation, and a different one on a gateway machine.

Dave Gillett



On 14 Oct 2001, at 10:46, Brad Feuerhelm wrote:

> Hi All
>
> Got a question
>
> Can you run under Win 98SE two software firewall programs?
>
> Right now I'm running Blackice, I was wondering if I can run Zone Alarm Pro
> in conjunction with Blackice?
>
> Will it improve security?
> Will it hindure security?
> Any conflicts?
>
> Any other info appreciated.
>
> Thanks
>
> Brad Feuerhelm
>
>       "Hold No Punches.." Rode brings you great shareware/freeware
>         programs with his honest opinions in this weekly column.
>                        http://freepctech.com/rode
>

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