[HPFGU-OTChatter] Re: NetNanny and Firewall

[Przemyslaw Plaskowicki]

On 2003-09-07 00:40, Cindy C. wrote:

>Pshemekan wrote:
>
>  
>
>>2. Windows -- http://www.windowsupdate.com is your best friend: 
>>    
>>
>
>Boy, you ain't just whistlin' Dixie!  I took the time to upload all of
>the patches and whatnot, I purged the spyware, I deleted things that
>were hiding on my computer, and I did everything else Pshemekan
>recommended.  
>
>Now my computer purrs like a kitten!  Things work faster, too!  It
>made such a difference.  Thanks, Pshemekan!
>

I am glad to help  :-).

>One more question, though.  I have heard that folks with a cable
>connection ought to have a good firewall to prevent someone from
>extracting information from the computer.  Can you explain why this is
>not really necessary?
>  
>
Because personal firewalls are by definition wrong: firewall is defined 
as (from Merriam-Webster site): *"2* /usually/ *firewall* /'fIr-"wol/ 
*:* a computer or computer software that prevents unauthorized access to 
private data (as on a company's local area network or intranet) by 
outside computer users (as of the Internet)."
So firewalls are in the same class of products as Anti Virus software 
for Linux (which has no viruses). And both such products are providing 
the same thing to their customers -- sense of false security.
Personal firewalls are blocking access to doors which should be closed 
anyway (and more often are already closed), like blocking access to 
windows file sharing which should be achieved by removing all but TCP/IP 
protocol from network connection setting. In properly configured Windows 
box there are no reasons to keep personal firewalls. Moreover this 
software is often used to make users buy "professional" version, and to 
achieve it, it alarms user of alleged "break-in attempt", "illegal 
scanning", "connection attempts", while almost all of this is legitimate 
traffic. Consequently, it gives major headache to admins like me, by 
being flooded with "abuse reports" from clueless personal firewalls users.

I don't deny personal firewalls are useful, but you need to know very 
deeply how TCP/IP protocols works, to use it without problems.
Naturally, such firewall would save user, who didn't patch their system, 
from for being hacked by blaster or similar worm, but if system is well 
patched and configured there is no real reason for it.
Unless you are using Windows 98/95 -- those are no longer supported by 
Microsoft, and no more security or other patches are being avalaible for 
them -- in such situation personal firewalls will add additional security.
If you need to use them, I advice Kerio Personal 
Firewall: http://www.kerio.com/us/kpf_home.html

Regards,
Pshemekan

-- 
It is not worth an intelligent man's time to be in the majority. By definition, there are already enough people to do that. (G. H. Hardy)