Home Network Security, part 2

Hardware firewall

• Cable/DSL routers (see above)

Dedicated firewall machine

• 486/66+ & Linux, via iptables (ipchains in earlier versions)

Win9x/NT/XP software: 

• BlackICE Defender (www.networkice.com) seems no longer available
• McAfee Firewall  (www.mcafee.com)
• Windows Firewall (built into Windows XP, active by default in Service Pack 2). Does not monitor/control outbound connections from your computer.
• Symantec's Norton Internet Security(www.symantec.com)
• Zone Alarm (Zone Labs, www.zonealarm.com).
• The Sunbelt Personal Firewall is my choice and recommendation.
• Others

• Unauthorized access to your system 
  • by the bored or curious 
  • by the malicious
  • by other bad guys
• malicious ability to read/write/delete/format 
• Trojan access programs
• Remote control programs — Back Orifice, NetBus, Hack-a-Tack, etc.
• Attacks through your system to others, pretending to be you.
• Mail spamming, pretending to be you
• Mail spamming, not pretendig to be you
• Bad guys using your computer as a webserver for porn
• Bad guys using your computer in phishing / fraud schemes
• How to identify attack instances and attackers.
• Prevention is the key – much better than response afterwards

• By protocol, port #, source, destination, request or response, or by physical network card
• Block inbound packets and log penetration attempts
• Block outbound packets -- to make sure files & printers not shared!
• Block access to/from certain sites or from certain in-house machines
• block adult sites
• block/restrict child's computer 
• Block banner advertising (by source site)

Home Net Security, part 1 |  2
Home Networking Basics, part 1 |  2 |  3 |  4 |  5 |  6

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