Firewall yes, but where?

Klaus Haber · 2005-02-20T19:58:45+00:00

Hello,I have an understanding problem. There are different meanings concerning touse firewalls or not. But generell I heard, that a firewall in a _router_in connection with a DSL-PC is better than a firewall integrated in thesame PC, connected to the net by a _modem_. (Firewall means personalfirewall). My understandig ist, that there is no differenz between this bothconfigurations. If the router firewall leaks, the attack will reach the PC.The same happens, if the PC-firewall will leak. I see only one advantage ina router-firewall, if you have a local net with different PCs. In this caseyou need only one firewall for all connected PCs. Please correct me (or agree ;-) ), if my understanding is wrong.Thanks and greetingsKlaus

Feb 20, 2005 25 Replies

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Jose Maria Lopez Hernandez 21 years ago

I know perfectly what a Firewall does and how different firewalls work. I even have written a Firewall. I'm the author of bastion-firewall for Linux. And I am also Telecom Engineer, so I know how the OSI and TCP/IP stacks are designed. Anyway I checked your link and I find it very interesting. I have bookmarked it to send it to some people that will be interested in this things.

Of course:

formatting link

's the 62 issue of the Phrack Magazine.

I use a PFW also with my XP at home, so I basically agree with your words. And I know a PFW can be used to protect a home LAN, but then it's best feature, that it's controlling access of applications to/from Internet doesn't apply to the LAN computers. I would find it more useful to have one PFW on each computer if you really want to use PFW.

Yes, I was talking about something like the Pix 501, a low cost router and firewall. Anyway I find useful the PFW to stop things like spyware or worms that use standard ports like 80/tcp and can't be easily stopped with what I call "real" firewall. That's why I say they are different things and serve for differents purposes.

Regards.

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Duane Arnold 21 years ago

Jose Maria Lopez Hernandez wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@individual.net:

Interesting link, it's been a long long time since I have seen Pop and Push statements and programming is my expertise.;-) I have book marked the link. I wish I had more time to look at Linux and programming in general. But over the last few months and in particular right now, I am on a .Net quest to go get/cash in on that Net $$$$.

Duane :)

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Jim Higgins 21 years ago

[snip]

Thanks again! Will do.

Jim Higgins

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Gerald Vogt 21 years ago

Turn the WLAN off, if you don't need it. If it is not possible to turn it off, configure it with a random WPA key and close it. If you don't do that you run your WLAN in default settings. I don't know the settings for your router but if I take a Linksys and just turn it on, it runs with SSID "linksys" without any encryption or authentication, in other words: anyone who gets into signal range can connect to the network. Anyone can then use your DSL connection. Anyone can also try to your computer that you connected by cable. Your neighbors will certainly welcome it as they don't have to subscribe to a DSL service but I don't thing this is what you intend.

Yes, I am German. I speak real German, not "German". ;-) Send me an email if you want...

Gerald

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Jim Higgins 21 years ago

Thanks for all your help and advice - It all works beautifully. Apart from a bit of setup required to get the printer going all I had to do was plug the stuff together. After that I changed the router password and double checked that things like remote setup were turned off - which they were by default - and that's it. I wouldn't say a moron could do it, but darn close to it.

Thanks again!

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