Is there much worth to the idea that a memory key could be used as a hardware firewall (in the way floppy drives distros / old pcs have been used as hardware firewalls running linux type distros on them)? If so, where can I find more info? I've done several google searches but am unable to find anything to really hit the spot. As it were.
Erm, I think of something that has a USB connection and a bit of storage stuff inside when I think of a memory key. If that's what you mean, you'll need to find a way to add network connectivity and a processor first...
Joachim
No.
-Russ.
Sorry - didn't make this one very clear - can a usbkey be used as a read only device for firewall settings in the sense it can be a replacement software firewall ie becoming effectively a personal hardware firewall?
Storing the firewall configuration on an USB device is possible, and there are a couple of devices that can even boot off them.
Either would allow you to, at least, influence the way the firewall is run from a USB key. If you somehow manage to make the USB device read-only - some way that cannot be circumvented in software - then you have a somewhat reliable way of storing your configuration, or even your entire system.
However, this has little to do with the distinction software-hardware firewall, which is quite silly anyway (the only real hardware firewalls I know of involve scissors, pulling plugs and the like). The main distinction, really, is the place where the filtering software is run. If it is run on the host that is being protected, this is not ideal, and sometimes called a software firewall. If it is run on another host, this is usually called a hardware firewall, especially if the 'other host' is some sort of specialized device.
The question of storing firewall settings on a USB device is orthogonal to this, though. Storing (parts of) the system on read-only media has it's merit, especially in firewalls, but if you plan on plugging the USB device into a Windows XP machine to make it more secure, that wouldn't help much.
(And anyway, writable CDs are much cheaper... and many Linux- or
*BSD-based firewalls can run off a floppy. No need to mess around with expensive devices which need expensive connectors and all that if getting an old CD drive is pretty easy.)Joachim
Look for U3 USB keys, they're starting to do what you want, right now it's just AV, but a developer could write a FW app for it I suppose.
Here's a link to Memorex's version:
Cabling-Design.com Forums website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.