SIMPLe firewall question

[drluggo]

I purchased a D-Link router for my home network. The default firewall rules are as follows:

Deny Source=*,* Dest=LAN,* Protocol/Port= IP(0),*
Allow Source = LAN,* Dest=*,* Protocol/Port= IP(0),*

Their documentation does not explain this well but I think this is the maximum security:

Deny all access to all ports on my LAN from everywhere on the internet, but allow the LAN to access the entire internet.

My question lies with the word access. If all access is denied from the internet, how does a web page display on a computer in my LAN when I request it? If the answer to this is the Protocol/Port configuration, and HTTP is allowed, what types of communication does IP(0) actually cover?

Any help in explaining would be appreciated.

 

[wbg34]

All having a hardware firewall means is that you have reduced your chances of being hacked. No firewall will protect you 100%, but having one helps a great deal. IMHO having a Software firewall will not hurt and provides a backup line of defense. This will reduce your chances of being hacked even more. There are quite a few quality Free software firewalls that are easily obtainable (I use Kerio Personal

http://www.kerio.com/us/kpf_home.html).

 

[drluggo]

Thanks for the input.

My genral question is (regardless of software/hardware firewall or both), if all I am doing from my LAN is accesing the internet for web browsing and e-mail (no peer-to-peer or IM stuff), am I the most protected with the firewall settings that I have, or do I have to figure out other settings.

I want to just be able to install and leave the firewall settings as is and know that I am well-protected.

 

[wbg34]

I want to just be able to install and leave the firewall settings as is and know that I am well-protected.

For the most part the settings you have are very secure and you are probably well-protected. However every day exploits and other cracks are found for both software and hardware firewalls. There are no guarantees that you will stay well-protected. The dream of having something that you can set and forget will not exist in the near future.
Take the extra step and get a software firewall to work with the Hardware firewall. Then get into the habit of checking for patches and firmware on a regular basis. Doing those two things combined with current Anti Virus are your best bet to get and Stay well-protected.