DSL/Firewall???

I need info on security with DSL. I am going from dial up, to DSL very soon and I keep hearing about Fire wall, security, always on, etc. I need it to come in the form of newbie, not Bill Gates. I don't want to go to vo-tech just to get a fire-wall. Can you point me in the direction so I can gather up the soft ware/ hard ware before I get the DSL?? Thanks Alex

 

Hi Alex

Is your ISP providing the hardware? If so, do you know what - just modem, modem/router combo?

If you are providing your own hardware, you may want to consider an inexpensive router in addition to your modem. The router provides good security in addition to allowing sharing of the dsl connection and home networking.

As for software firewalls on your system(s) and being new to this, you might want to look at the free ZoneAlarm for now. You can always explore other possibilities once you are up and running.

Regards,

CrazyM

 

Thanks for the reply. The ISP co. said I would be getting a modem that sits outside the computer and filters for the phones in the house. I guess so I can talk on the phone and surf at the same time. The speed will be 768kb? That is all I know at this time. I would get a router but what whould I go for? ie...name brand, type, etc. I have no idea what a router is. And it seem's the more I read the more confused I get... Your help and patience is greatly appreciated...Alex.....

 

Alexzander,

A software firewall should be your first priority and I would second CrazyM's suggestion of ZoneAlarm since it is simple to use. Uninstalling it can be a problem however if you decide to try other options later on.

As for router firewalls, they all seem to be equally effective - the differences come down to the interface and ease-of-use (usually you'll only need to change their configuration if you are running a server of some description or a P2P program). Linksys is a popular make so you should be able to get more information and help for any problems you encounter - but do make sure that its firmware is up-to-date (via the Linksys Download Page) since there have been security problems in the past (Linksys routers may be open to remote sniffing).

Check that you do get a router suitable for DSL - they do usually include a splitter for phones (though splitters can be purchased separately - you will need one for every telephone extension in your house).

 

Hi,

Is there some thread on this forum, or elsewhere, that describes how to remove ZoneAlarm if I decide to go elsewhere?

Rich

 

Just was told by http://www.auditmypc.com/ that when I run a firewall test that all looks good accept that they can see my IP address and they should not. How do I fix this short of throwing the machine out the window? Please dumb down the answer. I have no formal education on these machines. I am using the XP firewall and guess the modem has one to. It is a westell..Thanks

 

Think of your IP address as being a postal address. You've got to have to have one to receive replies back so any site you connect to has to know it.

However you can use a proxy to sent and receive traffic on your behalf (like renting a Post Office Box to give you an alternative address). This does complicate things slightly and will slow down your connection so I would suggest you investigate this (try a forum search for an appropriate thread) after you have everything else configured and working to your satisfaction (security should be the most important issue, proxies are more a privacy tool).

Also, there are anonymizing proxies where the traffic between your PC and the proxy is encrypted. This is the only way to protect your privacy from your ISP (who can see any traffic coming to or from your system) but adds another layer of complexity again (a search for Internet anonymity should give you some very relevant threads).

 

Could you use Proxomitron to spoof an IP address?

 

Not on its own no - a proxy is the only way to change your IP address as seen by the sites you connect to. However Proxomitron can complicate things by altering HTTP headers to make it appear that your traffic has been forwarded through more proxies than it actually has (which can confuse some "proxy detector" sites). See the Fake Proxy Host_Name & IP Filters thread in the Proxomitron forum for more.

 

Thanks P2K for clarifying this. I tried the link Alexzander lists using the Proxomitron with the JakxPack filters and got the message 'We detected that you are using some type of proxy or cache server. This means that if we continue, we would be scanning a computer other than your own.' - so the Proxomitron worked here. However, http://privacy.net/analyze/ correctly identified my IP address.

EDIT: Sorry, just realised that what I said above is nonsense. Put it down to insomnia.