Is a firewall needed for ubuntu and if so what firewall would u recommend?
Firewall needed?
Archived thread 698052 from Security Discussions. Markdown source: Security_Discussions/thread_698052_Firewall_needed.md
Well, it is recommended only for servers but if you feel like putting the work in getting all the ports set up right, I'll tell you. See, Ubuntu already has a firewall. Its called iptables. The thing is, you need a GUI to be able to manipulate it. That such GUI would have to be FireStarter.
As MasterJS said above, you already have a firewall and all ports are closed by default. If you need to open some ports, it's a bit difficult to edit the settings, so most people install Firestarter to help control it. It's in Synaptic.
Moved to Security Discussions, mainly so that I can point the OP to the sticky threads at the top of this section. Those will answer most questions you may have about security in Ubuntu and Linux.