Security, DSL, and a hub that switchs off every night.

[jdrule]

I am planning on signing up with a local DSL provider and I am a little nervous about security.

I have currently connected a passive hub that will be turned off every time the computer is turned off. Without a connection to the coputer, will the data that sits on my computers be safe? Or should I look into a firewall application?

Thanks for your help.

 

[2ffat]

Yes, with the router off your computers are safe but still look for at firewall. The problem is when your computer and router are on, you have an open door to your data. Better safe than sorry.

James P. Cottingham

I am the Unknown lead by the Unknowing.
I have done so much with so little
for so long that I am now qualified
to do anything with nothing.

 

[chiph]

jdrule -

At a minimum you should be running one of the personal firewall packages on every computer that is sharing your internet connection (such as Black ICE Defender). You may want to look into a hardware solution that combines a basic firewall and routing capabilities (such as the Linksys broadband router or the NetGear RT-314).

Chip H.

 

[GoldenEternity]

I think I'd say at a minimum you should be up to date on all the relevant patches for your system. Firewalls are nice, but they don't work miracles.

 

[ackka]

I would suggest getting an understanding on how a attacker could approach your home computer.
Here is a good book that will give you some information.

http://www.angelfire.com/electronic/ackka/docs/MaximumInternetSecurity/index.htm

I would suggest learning how to cut off weaknesses to the Operating System that you are using, instead of purchasing a very exspensive Firewall software that may not stop an attack. You would also learn some valuable stuff which may help you later down the road....

good luck

ackka

http://home.cyberarmy.com/ackka/

 

[dwmatteson]

Hey Jdrule --
You might want to take a look at Steve Gibson's site (

http://www.grc.com).

He's recently been very interested in privacy and security issues, and he has some pretty strong (and, IMHO, well-reasoned) ideas about firewalls and that sort of thing.
To summarize a bit, he doesn't think very highly of BlackICE Defender, but he does have reasonably good things to say about the McAfee (version 2.15 or later), Symantec/Norton (version 2.55 or later), and ZoneAlarm Pro firewalls (commercial programs), and he also thinks highly of free firewalls, such as ZoneAlarm, Sygate Personal Firewall (version 4 or later), and Tiny Personal Firewall (version 2.0.7 or later).
Gibson also has some very interesting articles on denial-of-service attacks that were launched against him in May and June of 2001 as well as Spyware and other such things.

Links to firewalls listed above:
ZoneAlarm/ZoneAlarm Pro:

http://www.zonealarm.com/index.html

Sygate Personal Firewall:

http://www.sygate.com/products/shield_ov.htm

Tiny Personal Firewall:

http://www.tinysoftware.com/pwall.php

ObDisclaimer -- I have no affiliation with Steve Gibson, Gibson Research Corporation, or any of the vendors listed above. I just like grc.com, the SpinRite utility that they produce, and Gibson's commitment to helping secure the Internet.

Don

 

[GoldenEternity]

I believe NetworkICE released a statement about Gibson's research on BlackICE. They felt that the problem Gibson had was that he installed BlackICE onto a system that was already backdoored by the trojan he was trying to detect, and that if he had installed BlackICE before the trojan it would have detected it. I think they also mentioned a couple settings he could have changed to make it detect the trojan as well.

But the main thing about BlackICE is that its designed as an IDS, not a firewall.