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  • From: Edward Wesolowski <edwes AT idisplay.com>
  • To: "Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/" <internetworkers AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [internetworkers] Windows Firewall
  • Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2003 08:41:18 -0400

Shea:
Good, useful information. My Mother-in-law is considering cable modem. This is helpful.
Thanks.
Ed W.

At 09:44 PM 8/27/03 -0400, you wrote:
I don't think Linux is a good choice for a casual home user who needs help
from their son to maintain thier computer.

I second the suggestion about getting them a Mac, but I'm realitic in that I
understand your parents probably don't want to buy another computer and
probably don't want to have to deal with software incompatibilities and
such.

Steve is entirely right about the Microsoft OS being fundamentally insecure.
My first suggestion would be to get them a firewall device. If they had a
cable modem, a good cable modem router will include NAT and a firewalling in
the form of port blocking and stateful packet inspection. Can you get them
to get a cable modem? If so, then buy a $69 linksys cable modem router or
similar.

But since they have dial-up, the selection is fairly limited. Steve
mentioned the airport and the old ones can actually handle a dial-up
connection. So that would be an option. A device like the Nexland 100e
ISDN/Analog Dial-up router would work also. I think it sells for $45 retail
and you can find it for like less than $20 on the net. It does NAT, so that
would give you a layer of protection. I think linksys and Netopia also
offer analog routers.

As for software, I would suggest zone alarm or enabling XP's firewall. XP's
firewall is built in and it does stateful inspection of packets.

shea


----- Original Message -----
From: "Steven Champeon" <schampeo AT hesketh.com>
To: <internetworkers AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Wednesday, August 27, 2003 11:29 AM
Subject: Re: [internetworkers] Windows Firewall


> on Wed, Aug 27, 2003 at 11:22:26AM -0400, Craig Duncan wrote:
> > With the recent spate of virus attacks, my parents are afraid to turn on
> > their PC, let alone connect to the internet, thus defeating the purpose
> > for which they purchased it. They use via dial-up modem to connect to
> > the internet.
> > Does anyone have any recommendations for firewall products compatible
> > with Windows XP(Home Edition or other) and is there something better
> > than Norton anti-virus. I would also be curious to know if there are
> > any hardware firewalls that use dial-up for home use that they could
> > use.
>
> Sorry, but Windows is an insecure OS, especially so when in the hands of
> novices. If I were you, I'd install Linux or buy them a Mac if you're
> worried about them getting infected (or infecting others). If nothing
> else, at least get them to stop using IE and Outlook, the two most
> common avenues for infection. And turn /off/ any services they don't need
> to be running, which Microsoft helpfully left on and wide open to cut
> down on their tech support costs.
>
> Perhaps it isn't obvious, but running firewall software on an insecure
> OS is kinda like taping a deadbolt to a screen door.
>
> We run Linux as a firewall/masquerading intermediary between our internal
> network and the Internet; at home, I use my Airport base station as the
> "firewall". Any separate box between the Internet and unsafe OSes should
> do the trick, whether it is a base station or cheap Pentium running Linux
> in a masquerading configuration. But trusting firewalling software on the
> very insecure OS it is trying to protect? Folly, pure and simple.
>
> --
> hesketh.com/inc. v: (919) 834-2552 f: (919) 834-2554 w: http://hesketh.com
> Book publishing is second only to furniture delivery in slowness. -b.
schneier
> ---
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