How Good Is the Windows Server 2003 Basic Firewall?

I find this firewall works very well, but only with 3.11 for workgroups. When are they gonna release Win 95? Anyone know?

Microsoft is so cool.I Love them. I wish I had more money to buy more Windows 2003 boxes. Oh my God... that firewall... is kicking ass! So cool! Linux stuff can't be compared with it. not telling about any (if any) of Sun firewalls. Windows rulz!!!!

Stand tall and NOT let your self be bullied by Micro$oft! The truth is the truth and should not be suppressed.

I think the article shows the author's lack of knowledge of Windows 2003. She doesn't seem to understand how port scanning works much less the results of the scans. I was hoping for some detail on what options she set and the results. Her bias on the "non industry standards" stuff doesn't include all the false info Windows will return because it has "embraced, enhanced, and extended" so many standards and that top 75 tools list is just fyodor's list, not some magical security organization's list.

Also I don't think she is mixing up terminology. The FIREWALL is call Internet Connection Firewall, RRAS to my knowledge doesn't use the term Firewall.

For the record you tested a Small Business Server 2003 RRAS firewall. We aren't Windows 2003 Server. We have a password complexity wizard that kicks in.

Furthermore the list of ports that you list as being "open on the firewall" are the needed ports if you stuck a hardware firewall on the outside. For example, port 4125 open opens up AFTER you authenticate on port 443. The ports listed there ONLY open up if you select those options when running the "CEICW" wizard. You did use the wizard didn't you? You run the wizard and only open up those ports that are needed.

On that SBS2k3 you would never run the firewall without running the "CEICW" configure email and internet connection wizard". I do not remember that list of listening programs on my box. I'll check and post back in.