Setting up a firewall
Andrew
Having done a search on the net I have found hundreds of conflicting
reports from "experts"
x - being an unknown quantity
and a
spurt - a drip under pressure
Can anyone point me to where to find a good starting point to set up a
(software) firewall.
My Scenario:
ADSL so 'sort of' permanent connection
win 2000 - internet sharing to 3 computers
using ATGuard firewall
Many Thanks, Andrew
Spudley
recommended by the experts, find the one you like and can understand find
effective and use it.
Zone Alarm is my recommendation as a starter to get familiar with one, then
Zone Alarm Pro.
Norton Internet Security is quite easy to use "Out of the box" and will do
what's required to protect you against attacks.
ATGuard is a little old but still effective.
A router with a built in firewall is another good suggestion for 3 computers
sharing an internet connection. "Netgear".
Follow the advise of the experts, choose the most popular configuration and
run from there.
Unless you are willing to payout $1000's on a commercial Firewall and an
administrator to configure it, it's suck it and see, because everybody has
their own idea as to what is best.
"Andrew" <ahu...@monash.edu.au> wrote in message
news:3C74EE31...@monash.edu.au...
Andrew
Yes But ....
it is that "it's suck it and see" that I want to try and avoid. Yes I
agree with you trial and error is the best way to learn and yes, the
ATGuard was one of the few free ones that handled ICS on win2000 which
tells you I don't want to spend money
but...
What are the important attacks I am trying to stop?
What do I (or the typical user) need to let through? and why?
Are there any services I should simply not let through?
With zone alarm (and others) you get asked service x is trying to get
through is this ok
you tend to say yes to shut it up and stop it asking.
I just figure there should be a simple guide such as
If your not using SNMP disable it by....
If you don't use telnet disable it by....
let any tcp through on port 80
If you don't use FTP block port 21
etc etc
It is ok to say suck it and see but I think that is pointless, it is
like buying an extra strong bungie rope and attaching it to a bridge
with sticky tape. If you are going to do it lets do it properly. I think
it is pointless to have a firewall if it is not going to stop an attack.
Andrew