DSL/Cable online protection... software/firewall tools that help warn and protect from hack attacks and malicous activity. What would you recommend for 'always on' protection? How much do I really have to worry about? What is the worst case scenario for being hacked or force fed a virus while using an 'always on' cable or dsl connection? What about just turning everything off when I'm done, what are the effects of that with dsl? Any suggestions or advice is greatly appreciated. I would also really like to hear about personal experiences with software and possible hack attacks while using dsl/cable service. My DSL is scheduled to be activated next week and I'd like to hear your story. rH
Here at my house in Houston (DSL), we use BlackIce. In San Antonio, I use Linux ------------------ "Up and down, inside out, outside in, some you lose some you win" -- DMB -> "Sweet Up and Down"
I have a Linksys router with a built-in firewall. It works great. ------------------ And then, depression set in...
I have a Linksys Router and use ZoneAlarm software firewall. The Linksys Router provides very basic firewall protection in the form of a NAT which is about as basic a firewall as you can get. ZoneAlarm allows even further firewall protection in terms of limiting port access, IP access, etc. Black Ice Defender never used to be a true firewall even though their box may say it which caused all kinds of bashing from the security community. Unless they changed its functionality, a trojan could get on your pc and allow full communication back to its "mother ship" without BID doing a thing about it. It was one-way (incoming) protection. I used to use it until I discovered Zone Alarm. Zone Alarm is free, too. You can also step up to some serious individual/SOHO firewalls that run about $350 in the form of products by WatchGuard and SonicWall, but for the average person it may be a bit too complex. If you have no router-based firewall protection, get Zone Alarm. It's free. Go to www.zonelabs.com and download it. ------------------ Yugo grills, Yugo mills, Check out the oil my Yugo spills... [This message has been edited by Dr of Dunk (edited April 15, 2001).]
I considered adding additional firewall protection but the dynamic IP addressing I have with RoadRunner makes me feel safe enough. ------------------ And then, depression set in...
Dynamic IP isn't protection by itself. No matter what your IP, when you're on, you have an IP address. The longer you stay on, the more susceptible you are to getting a "break-in". When people try hacking IP's they just pick a range of IP's and get to it. If your dynamic IP happens to be in that range and you're not practicing "safe hex" at the time, then you could be a victim. The fact I have a permanent IP can technically make me more susceptible, but the fact you have a dynamic IP doesn't necessarily make you safe. Most hardware-based firewalls are still beyond the average user to maintain. Hell, I know I don't want to fiddle with that stuff. Having software-based firewall in addition to something like NAT is a good compromise. ------------------ Yugo grills, Yugo mills, Check out the oil my Yugo spills... [This message has been edited by Dr of Dunk (edited April 15, 2001).]
Okay, I understand the basic want to be secure and all, but does it really matter all that much? If I'm Joe Blow with no important business documents do I really need Zone Alarm, etc if I have a cable modem? Sure someone can pick my computer at random to screw with it but is this really at all likely? I ask this in all seriousness cause I have a cable modem with no protection and have had this for about 6 months. No problems yet. Have I just been lucky so far? ------------------
Maybe, maybe not. When cable modems first came out cable companies/users were so ignorant there were people that were sharing their harddrives with others on the network and didn't know it. "Mind if I put some p*rn temporarily on your hard drive? Thanks." This is an extreme and probably rare situation, but an example. When I first got Zone Alarm, in the first day, there were at least 20 unauthorized pings, scans, etc, from unknown IP's against my machine. It's very likely that someone during the course of a day or week will attempt to at least see if he/she can scan for open ports on your machine. These aren't just individuals that scan for open ports on your PC, but software that scans SEVERAL possible ranges of IP's for open ports while the hacker kicks back and eats a donut. No one knows. Install Zone Alarm and we can find out how lucky you are. Without it, you don't know what's being attempted against your pc at any given time, so you can't know how lucky you are. In all seriousness, and realistically speaking, if your machine doesn't have much important stuff such as MS Money files, tax statements, etc. on it, then you probably can't lose anything. One of the wildest things I've noticed is software that you install trying to communicate back to home base every so often with who knows what kind of information. For example, people have claimed their software firewall blocked access by a mail program called "Eudora" (I used to use it) from sending information back to the company without you knowing it. I've caught several emails in Outlook trying to communicate back home once they are viewed in Outlook. ------------------ Yugo grills, Yugo mills, Check out the oil my Yugo spills...
If you know about security, you've probably heard of Gibson Research. Steve Gibson's claim to 'Net fame is probably his website that can scan your ports for vulnerability. He is pretty highly regarded in the security field. Steve recently created a program to test for leaks in some of these software firewalls (a test you can d/l from his site). In that test only 4 proved "leak-proof" : Norton's Internet Security (which is just software they bought and renamed their own) Tiny Personal Firewall ZoneAlarm ZoneAlarm Pro Here are a few that did not prove to be "leak-free" : AtGuard BlackIce Defender Conseal Desktop Conseal PC Firewall eSafe Desktop Lockdown 2000 McAfee Firewall Sygate Personal Firewall You can find more info about these tests here : http://grc.com/lt/scoreboard.htm If you search around grc.com, you can find other neat security-related tests as well. ------------------ Yugo grills, Yugo mills, Check out the oil my Yugo spills...
DoD, thanks for the info and the link. That's a really cool site. I'm also installing the free firewall as I type. Once again, thanks for the heads up! ------------------
It is my opinion that anyone who maliciously hacks into a stranger's computer with the intent of doing damage should be injected with HIV and left to die. I mean, really, of all the low-down things to do. ------------------ My dream job is to be a Houston Rockets towel boy.
Deffinitely get a firewall -- at least Zone Alarm. Even if they don't know you, and aren't interested in your machine, they could use it for a denial of service attack on another machine. They can scan the range of IP addresses, put a "zombie" program into your computer, and use it, with others, to attack a website. There are also people who will put viruses in a computer just for the heck of it. I once found a virus on my hard drive after my sister accidentaly turned the firewall off. There was no other explanation for how it got there. You can also catch YOUR software attempting to communicate. REAL player is bad about this -- as is Microsoft (you can turn this off). The firewall will catch this as well. FYI -- just to be safe, I turn the modem off when I'm not accessing the internet as well. As we build better mousetraps -- people build better mice. ------------------ Stay Cool...
