im running windows 8 and am thinking if i need to use a third party security systems is windows 8 firewall good enough? can windows 8 defender be a good security tool without needing other security tools like norton and kaspersky?
Depends what are you doing with your PC. If it's only daily tasks, don't waste system resources and money for third party software as default ones are really good.
I agree, Defender in Windows 8, when updated semi-frequently will do it's job fairly well. Firewall stuff tends to let info out, but not in, unless you allow. You could change it to also block outgoing, but then you'd need to add permissions to every program that you want to actually use the internet with. Overall it's roughly the same as arguing which medicine is best for a cold. One could argue that prevention is always the best option. Don't touch people's hands, or talk to them face to face if they are sneezing and coughing. The same goes for file security. You can pre-scan things on many sites like virustotal.com You can also sandbox them with programs such as sandboxie for things that you really want to run, but don't want to allow access to your system like a keygen or something. Handling hazardous materials like youtube linked keygens or cracks, one should always assume it has a virus until proven otherwise
btw. the joke is the new F-Secure Internet Security 2013 They say "Advanced firewall protection against malicious attacks" at their website, but what you get is Anti-Virus plus a link to the Windows firewall (plus some Browser-safety/anti-spam features).