[Donna]

I'm not sure which firewall software monitors changes in the hosts file but as far as I know, Zone Alarm, Outpost monitors the hosts file.

It will be interesting to know if there are other software firewall that checks your hosts file for changes. Please add here your response if your firewall software monitors your hosts file

Thanks!

[hewee]

I got ZA Pro 4.x and in does not monitors changes but you can lock it so no changes can be made. I have locked the hosts file with other programs but have seen it changed when other programs like cwshredder and spybot finds the false things and and you let it fix what it finds. I may not clean all it finds or it may clean some and say it as to reboot to clean up more.
I found this out after I got WinPatrol that monitors changes to your hosts file. It also locks the hosts file but in test I did I was still able to delete things from it that spybot was finding.
Zone Alarm Pro lock would not let anything get to the hosts file so in my test it was the only lock that worked.

So for alerts on the hosts file WinPatrol is great and for the best locking of the hosts file use ZA Pro.

This post has been edited by hewee: 06 February 2006 - 08:32 PM

[Donna]

Thanks hewee!

I thought ZA monitors the changes also. Not only lock.
Outpost detects changes but not locking the host file.

We really can't have it ... all

This post has been edited by Donna: 06 February 2006 - 08:44 PM

[hewee]

Your welcome Donna.

Got to love Scotty popping up and telling you of changes to the hosts file. I was not till I won WinPatrol Plus here that I found out I had been deleting from my hosts file when I was running cwshredder.

But with WinPatrol you make a backup and then when the alert pops up it lets you pick if you want to let the changes take effect or not. Plus it lets you view.

Here I will post screen shots.

Well it is easy to see what one is WinPatrol.

The other image is what I get when I use the ZA lock on the hosts file.





Now ZA may monitor the changes of the hosts file on newer version but not on the 4.x version I have.

This post has been edited by hewee: 06 February 2006 - 09:09 PM

[Hardhead]

NIS 2006 monitors too, but I have never got an alert. If you run Security Inspector, it will find the change. There's no option to allow the latest change and accept. It only reads Microsoft default IP.
You can choose fix or no action.

WinPatrol is my friend too.

[hewee]

Got to love WinPatrol Hardhead. I even stopped using SpywareGuard.
I asked about it at WinPatrol if I could stop using it and Bill did not know because he did not know everything it does. But the only times I ever got a alert was for a new or change BHO. It takes a lot more CPU to run the WinPatrol too. So I used WinPatrol to disable SpywareGuard. So I should be ok without it unless it does something in the background that protects you without you knowing about it. But I have alway keep my PC clean so did not feel the need for SpywareGuard anymore.

[Hardhead]

hewee, on Feb 6 2006, 06:02 PM, said:

Got to love WinPatrol Hardhead.  I even stopped using SpywareGuard.
I asked about it at WinPatrol if I could stop using it and Bill did not know because he did not know everything it does. But the only times I ever got a alert was for a new or change BHO. It takes a lot more CPU to run the WinPatrol too. So I used WinPatrol to disable SpywareGuard. So I should be ok without it unless it does something in the background that protects you without you knowing about it. But I have alway keep my PC clean so did not feel the need for SpywareGuard anymore.
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm right there with you hewee.

I dumped SpywareGuard when I got WinPatrol.

[guest]

I have been having WinPatrol pop up its warning about the HOSTS file being modified as I have been feeding the hpHOST file with LOTS of Meds and Loans and Mortgage spammer/scammers that are hosted on Bullet proof Chinese ISPs that love US $$$ from the US spammer/scammers.

[hewee]

Good to hear Hardhead. I should uninstall SpywareGuard too know that it has been disable a couple months.

Well YoKenny Scotty is keeping you busy then with the pop up alerts. Good thing the newer version fixed thing with the alerts too because there was some of the pass versions where you only got the alert one time and if you changed the hosts file again you would not get the alert till after you rebooted or closed down WinPatrol and opened it again. Plus if you made 5 changes to your hosts file you get the 1st alert and then a 2nd alert at restart of WinPatrol so you would still not get a alert for each time the hosts file changed but the new version works great and you get a alert every time.

[guest]

Quote

the new version works great and you get a alert every time

Bill did a great job on the HOSTS file monitor and I'm sure he improved the other monitors as well.

[hewee]

Yes Bill did. He did have the added work and bugs because he was making the newer WinPatrol and testing it to work with the new Windows Vista so that I bet made it fun for him. But when there is something wrong Bill is right there to fix things. Some of the Med 9.5 tru 9.7 he did a lot of work and I and others had alert troubles. With 9.8 I don't anyone posted about troubles so he fixed everything.

Bill is great at wanting his software to work and work great for everyone.
To bad Bill Gates was not the same way.

[guest]

Quote

To bad Bill Gates was not the same way

Bill G. does not give a rat's rear end about the Microsoft software that all the pimply geeks sitting behind softly glowing monitors for 20 hours a day that pump out fixes for the junk that is out there already.
He is more content to see his name in lights proclaming him The richest man in the World.

I don't see much NEW stuff coming out lately.

[hewee]

Your right and look at MS tech support he uses now.

http://xs67.xs.to/pi...ech-support.jpg

[guest]

I hope his English has improved since the last time I talked to him.

[hewee]

Yea I know it is soooooo hard talking to them.

[Donna]

No doubt WinPatrol does the job in detecting changes on hosts file

So Outpost, ZA (latest version of ZA) will detect or monitor changes on host file.
NIS 2006 - @Tim, I have this software too but I haven't seen it alert me on host file changes