How secure is your computer/network...


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Just wondering what type and what make firewalls people use to secure their PC/Network from the outside world!

I use Norton Internet Security 2003 on each PC on the network at home and the router has a built in hardware firewall...

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I use Windows XP firewall, it doesn't let anything in while letting everything out. Just the way I like considering I don't download virus(es) (What is the plural of virus?) or trojans.

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my network is as followes:

ISP (has protection mathods aswell) -> ADSL -> My House -> ADSL Modem -> Router / Hardware Firewall -> Hub -> My computer (and others) -> Linux -> Built In Redhat 9 Firewall (High Setting) -> 17 character alpha-symbolic-numeric password to login

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my network is as followes:

ISP (has protection mathods aswell) -> ADSL -> My House -> ADSL Modem -> Router / Hardware Firewall -> Hub -> My computer (and others) -> Linux -> Built In Redhat 9 Firewall (High Setting) -> 17 character alpha-symbolic-numeric password to login

Just curious as why you have the linux firewall behind all of the computers? Am I missing something?

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my network is as followes:

ISP (has protection mathods aswell) -> ADSL -> My House -> ADSL Modem -> Router / Hardware Firewall -> Hub -> My computer (and others) -> Linux -> Built In Redhat 9 Firewall (High Setting) -> 17 character alpha-symbolic-numeric password to login

Just curious as why you have the linux firewall behind all of the computers? Am I missing something?

Well I think he uses Redhat for his os and then just has the firewall on that computer. My thought

My setup Internet -> Cisco PIX -> Cisco Router w/acl's -> snort with acid monitor-> switch and gentoo box.

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it's ascii diagram time:

[Linux system (firewalling)]
 ? ?| ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?|
 ? ?| ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?|
 ? ?| ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?|
[*the internet*] ?[OpenBSD]--------+
 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?| ? ? ? ? ? |
 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?| ? ? ? ? ? |
 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?| ? ? ? ? ? |
 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?[network 1] ?[Network 2]

- The Linux system does some traffic monitoring, intrusion detection, routing, etc.

- The OpenBSD system seperates the computers in my home into two seperate networks.

- Network one has access to the internet

- Network two does not have any access to the outside

- Network two only accepts traffic from network one (and then only on certain protocols/services from certain mac address from certain OSs)

Network one consists of systems that are on desks - All macintosh systems so viruses etc are not an issue (ibook, imac, and powerbook).

Network two consists of the servers.

Megaserver (half terrabyte mass storage for backups)

Mediaserver (living room media pc - has mp3 collection and some television shows)

Print server (color and black and white printing services - hasn't be used in about a year)

net server (about to be retired - used to test sql/php)

Permissions and access controls all around. Servers and networking hardware are stored in a locked room, backups to CD happen at least once a month and are stored in a safe-deposit-box at the bank.

Not perfect - but certainly good enough for the average home.

EDIT: A firewall is not a "device" - you can't just go and buy it. Firewalls are a security policy implimented through having many layers of security. Everything from packet filtering and access control lists, strong password policy, down to locking your servers up. Also a good firewall policy should not only keep the outside from getting into your LAN, it should also keep traffic from leaving your home network unless you want it too. All these link-sys/netgear $100 "firewall" routers ship with "Do basic NAT but let all outbound traffic pass" as the default settings, they ignore half the problem.

Edited by the evn show
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i am at college, our T1 (yes i wish it was an OC3) network has a firewall, then i have ZAP anyways...i've never had a virus or intrusion problem to date :knocks on wood: ;) :p

Edit: One doesn't actually know how secure there computer is until they are the targetof a intrusion attempt....so i am guessing most of us don't really know for sure. :blink:

Edited by XxDesmus_MODxX
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  • Up to date with Windows Update
  • Norton Anti-Virus 2003 Professional
  • Sygate Personal Firewall Pro 5.1
  • A college that only has 2 ports open, it's secure but it kind of ruins what all of us use super fast internet for...:shifty:

I fiddled with the settings about 4 hours ago oddly enough. Passed a scan test...yeah.

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Don't bother with software filewalls on my network, they're redundant to what my router does already.

Router NAT firewalls block internet users from initiating a connection to your PC.

It does nothing to prevent hacking of your PC (or loss of privacy) via a trojan or malicious code on a webpage where the connection is initiated from within your PC.

For that, one would need to rely on a good AV scanner, installing MS Critical Updates that relate to the browser and running a Spyware checker.

Sometimes a software firewall we protect you from things that a NAT firewall will not.

That being said, however, I don't use one either.

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cisco pix 501 - linksys router- cisco 2800 24 port switch then my systems sun ultrasparc 10 - 2k server- linux rh8 - xp pro desktop - xp home laptop - 2k desktop (test system)

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