Home Office Security

[chael]

Hi folks - I have a home LAN (3 computers, no servers) running Win98 (2 machines) and XP Home (1 machine). Only one of my computers has a firewall and it is a Win98 machine. All three CPUs have imortant files on them -- should I install Norton Personal Firewall on all three machines, or should I make one of the machines a server and route IP connectivity through that one server?

Any advice, etc. would be greatly appreciated.

 

[jnicks]

My first comment is to immediately go to Zone Alarm and pickup one copy for the XP and one for the 98.

http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/company/products/znalm/freeDownload.jsp

There is not a good excuse for browsing the web without a fw, except that MS has needlessly and incorretly downplayed the issue.

You will see a note about some spy-ware software they are plugging. ignore that and go to

http://www.lavasoftusa.com/

for adaware.


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What media are you using to connect the computers together, e.g. WiFi, wires, ??

How do the computers, if they do, connect to the web? Inividually, through one with a cable, ???

If you can reduce all access to the outside world through one box, then perhaps a drop-in-place firewall between that box and the wild, wooly web is the right thing. Usually simplifies web sharing as well.

If all browsing is done on one box, really only done on one box, things are a little different. But usually each individual wants to browse.

So please tell us a littl more about the config.

After you get the fws on the two other boxes (smile).

 

[chael]

Hi -- thanks for the quick response, especially the suggestion to get FWs on each of the machines. It can't hurt to have FW installed on each individual machine.

As far as the config goes...there is a cable modem coming into a hub, and all three machines get IP connectivity directly from the hubbed cable modem. I think it would be ideal to put another network card into one of the machines and do IP routing through one machine, which will have the firewall. I am not sure 98 is a good machine to use as a server, or if it is even possible. I can upgrade it, though, to XP Professional or Server 2k. I just want to make sure the files are safe.

What are your thoughts on Norton's FW software?

Thanks again.

 

[jnicks]

To be frank, I'd be relatively comfortable with FWs on each of the systems if you are already distributing the signal. I'd definitely back up the fw with some extras such as running adaware whic I mentioned, and also WebWasher to cut down on ads and also less than nice cookies and javascript sites.

The thing is that if each box is hard to get into, most hackers will simply wander off and go to some poor joe/jane that thas no protection.

You mentioned important files. I assume you backup. If not, get a cd backup system and start saving those files every three months or so.

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About Norton's stuff, now no one wants to hear this, as his image makers are first rate, but Symantec sucks and Peter is a thief.

There is some history going back to college days about petey stealing IP, copying. In general I find his software to be derivative and obfuscated. Symantec/Norton never does anything new, and they make things seem complex even if they are simple, to keep you befuddled.

You know, like 'Disk Cleanup' which is not anything more than
Sweep Del *.bak *.tmp
deltree \temp
and ask to clean out the trash bin.

Duh. Do it in autoexec or on startup.

Same old Stuff back to Norton Utilities I when he was selling DOS commands, like BEEP (Echo ^G) and File Veriry (COPY *.* NUL

A smoke and mirrors artist, and IP cat burglar, is not someone to trust for encryption or anti-v.

Hell, if it was not for certain backroom deals and market control, we'd still have free fax support like we did in the 1985 to 1995 era. Now one has to pay Symantec $90.

Go to F-Secure for professional a-v and infosec, people who actually work at it, and do a good job, not just float behind the curve republishing and advertising.

http://www.f-secure.com

The tag line is, 'With the other Norton Anthologies, they pay the authors.' Petey just stole.