McAfee firewall 2.1-getting started Manual Do Utilizador

Getting Started

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While McAfee Firewall is designed to protect a Windows computer from 
unwanted network communication, the security it provides can be 
undermined if the configuration can be altered. This is especially easy on 
Windows 95 and 98.

This problem is partially addressed by adding password protection to the 
configuration file. The protection is only partial because only the operating 
system can provide access control, such as is found in Linux and Unix.

When you use a password to protect your configuration:

• The settings cannot be changed while McAfee Firewall is running unless 

the correct password has been entered.

• The tampering of the configuration file will be detected the next time 

McAfee Firewall is run, if (and when) the password is entered

• If the password has not been entered, new networking applications will be 

blocked automatically.

This should usually be set to "Filter Traffic". If it is set to "Block Everything", 
the system will not be able to communicate over any network device. If it is set 
to "Allow Everything", nothing will be blocked. When it is set to "Filter 
Traffic", it controls network communications according to the Application and 
System settings.

It is best to choose Summary mode when setting it up for other users. The 
information shown in Detail mode is intended for the Adminstrator and may 
reduce performance on high-speed networks.

It is important to log unknown traffic if you want to review the log files to look 
for intrusion attempts. This option should only be unselected if the computer 
is on a busy network and large amounts of (harmless) traffic fills the log file.