Need help with security software - Pentium 133mhz

Windows 98?

what the heck...
you asked for more security - not less
no updates - no actual safe software - only old crap...
the only good view is usage of some opera browser v9 which is compatible to W98.
On the other hand - TinyXp is reduced so badly - but not the one and only
damn small XP. Another method may to reduce XP is manually yourself,
there are some (also free) tools to do that.

BTW have you mentiond what's your purpose is to work on that machine?
considered a damn small linux? eg puppy linux or Damn Small Linux?

 

+1
yeah why take a few steps back into a horrible software release. Win98se wasn't bad but win98 was bad. Your asking for alot out of a sml laptop. You can take some of the advice mentioned IE ( Smaller OS, LUA, sml firewall) or continue looking for something that probably doesn't exsist. I know that you have said that you had a bad experiance w/ linux. There are a ton of new linux based OS now. Slax, debian, ubuntu, mandriva. You would be suprised. The other option you have is upgrading your memory. That way you could use some of the software around here.

 

Argh, please DO NOT use ANY of the distros mentioned in the above post. Well, maybe Debian Etch, if you're good with Linux. But not Slax, KDE3 needs more than 128 MB of RAM; and definitely not current versions of Ubuntu or Mandriva, which are immensely bloated and run sluggishly on "modern" netbooks, never mind Pentiums.

The only somewhat-modern distro I could recommend is Slitaz, and at about 60 MB average memory usage that would stretch the laptop to its limits.

Re Win98 - it's garbage, but it's what will run on such a machine. Sometimes a big step backwards is the only step you can take.

 

sorry, i dont use linux - sometimes i try a live dvd - less time to get in.
and i never worked on such slow machine in the last 15 years!
i tried the mentioned distros some years ago and they dont met my needs.

 

Hey everyone!
Well well well...
Here is the current situation:
I finally got the PCMCIA ports to work on TinyXp (used the Inf folder from my normal Windows Xp SP2 and it used the apropriate drivers).
So, right now I have decided against Win98. I didn't wanted to go back to Win98 but it was my only option if PCMCIA was to be needed and I couldn't get it to work on TinyXP. BUT, was talking about Windows 98 S.E. with the unofficial Service Pack installed... lol. About as much of a up to date version of Win98 as you could get.
Still, I am on XP for now. I am having problems to get my Wireless card to work however... It's a Sitecom wl-112 54mbps. I used the software from their site but it just loads the utility, drivers are not installed. I am going to search for drivers when have the time.

About LInux, I have a boot live cd of Slax... And it doesn't run properly on my laptop. Too heavy. So, yeah, I have to go with TinyXp.

Someone pointed out that ThreatFire is too heavy. Is there any anti-malware also behavior-based that is lighter? I like ThreatFire as it seems to be very good at what it does, problem is it is too heavy. So, it leaves no resources for the firewall. I think I will give Kerio a try. But my question remains: is it worth? Can kerio 2.1.5 block intruders and protect people from stealing my data from wireless?


THANKS!



P.S.: As a side note, I have been checking and if anyone wants modern software for win98 there are tons (some are what I am using right now on TinyXp). For example: Polyedit Lite, MirandaIM, OB1, etc. I think win98 is not that bad (if you install all the updates and use S.E.) it is just outdated. Just my opinion.

 

Kerio or Look'n'Stop are the only ones that have some chance of running there. As statefull/application firewalls, they work perfectly fine. The keyword here is firewall... no HIPS or similar nonsense.

 

??
I am sorry, but I am not familiar with those terms, who do you mean?
Will Keria do what I need? Will it protect me from outside intruders and keep people from stealing data through the wireless?

THANKS

 

Wireless is not dependent on the firewall, but more on the security of the signal it self (WEP, WPA, WPA2) Otherwise it wont matter if your wired or wireless, Firewall is good to protect you from people on the outside of your own network and to a extent people on your own network.

 

Hey everyone!
Sorry it took so long to reply!
Thanks for the clarification Fajo.
Ok, I finally gave Kerio2 a shot. =)
It seems to be fine... It's light on resources, and I got it to work. However, I am afradi I messed up a little with the rules... =S
Could someone please give me some pointers, just in case I made a mistake?
I attached a picture with my rule set. I tried to follow a tutorial I found on the internet, but things wouldn't work if I had things EXACTLY like in that tutorial, so I had to "try and miss" a few times. If I made a mistake and I have a NON protective firewall right now, pelase, try to correct me, ok? THANKS IN ADVANCE! =D

Also, I am thinking, since I have a firewall and I am using OB1 am I safe? I mean, from all kind og plagues on the internet... OB1 has no JavaScript, nof ActiveX, in fact I have the "noscript" option marked. Is it enough to be safe online? Or should I really try to use a AntiVirus? I don't want to use ThreatFire as it slows down my laptop... a lot. =( Any sugestion?

I know that the best antivirus is common sense... Not opening certain types of emails, not going to certain types of sites... But still maybe I should have an antivirus. Any ideas?

THANKS IN ADVANCE EVERYONE!

 

is that kerio 2.1.5 ?

 

Yes it is Acuriano. Its the last free version from what I was told. And in this thread I was advised that it could still give some good protection.
What do you think of my rule set?

THANKS

 

You can use a cloud antivirus such as prevx or immunet.
Nod 2.7 will not be support in the near future. It wouldn't update in that time.

 

Thanks for the sugestion!
However, I have been reading about this Immunet thing and I got the impresion that what it does is:

-> Read all the information that runs on your computer;
-> Connect to the servers of the immunet (through the internet);
-> And receive an answer on what to do.

Is that so? It has no databse or something? If so, it will probably slow down my connection, because it will be ALWAYS connecting to the servers... That will cause my poor slow pc to die on me!
Or am I wrong on this?

Also, is this Immunet lighter than Avira Antivir?


Also, I have been thinking, is there a way to make ThreatFire lighetr on resources? Like, make it take less ram and such...??

THANKS!!

 

Immunet: Dunno much about it, never used it.

Panda Cloud AV: supposed to be extremely light and very good against rootkits, so it might be worth a shot.

Threatfire: it's a CPU pig in my experience, on such a slow machine as yours I'd just ditch it.

Other possibilities: Privatefirewall (which incorporates DSA) might work. Maybe. It normally uses something like 8 MB of RAM, but on a machine such as yours that might be a significant amount.

Or you could try System Safety Monitor Free, that's a bit dated but it's supposed to be light IIRC.

 

GREAT CHOICE there are many experts here who can help you.
Few quickies from me
1. DenyAll rule - you may want to disable it for a bit, so that you can make rules from alerts.
2. DHCP rule - change that to permit both in and out and only to the trusted DHCP server (your router or ISP provider) and test by doing ipconfig /release followed by wait a minute or two, then ipconfig /renew
3. ICMP 0,3,11 I think need both in and out, 8 only out, and if you have a LAN, allow 8 in as well.
4. I'd think you also need a rule to broadcast out for IP for svchost to remote 255.255.255.255:67 for local port 68
5. You may need to get time from nist.gov or the windows servers over port 123 both local and remote
6. Browser rule - I'd add port 443 next to 80 if you access sites which need https protocol
If you unenable that DenyAll rule, Kerio will tell you what you need specific to YOUR system.

 

So who says you have to run KDE or Gnome?

BTW, I'm runnning the latest Ubuntu netbook remix on a Dell Mini 9, and it's not sluggish. I'm running the standard Gnome desktop too.

 

Netbook (even the slowest sucky Intel Atom) is several orders or magnitude faster than P133 MHz. Once again, Gnome/KDE is not viable on similar HW. Stuff like Fluxbox, Enlightement or other simple WMs would run there. KDE/Gnome => unusable.

 

As for the OP who wants some advice on security software, I would also recommend using the stock Windows firewall. You're not going to get any lighter than that.

No way would I ever run a pirated version of Windows like TinyXP. Not only is it illegal, but it's just like painting a giant bullseye on your back. As someone else mentioned, it's probably loaded with malware. I bet you will become an instant member of someone's botnet.

 

I didn't compare a netbook and a P 133, nor was I suggesting that a full desktop environment like Gnome or KDE was suitable for use on a P 133. I was simply pointing out the the OP's assertion that "current versions of Ubuntu or Mandriva, which are immensely bloated and run sluggishly on "modern" netbooks, never mind Pentiums." was incorrect.

 

It's not incorrect for the desktop versions of those distros, which use Gnome or KDE or (maybe) Xfce. If you want a light Linux environment but don't want to get intimate with the ins and outs of the command line, DeLi and Slitaz are basically the only options.

Edit: and for those who point out that the latest release of AntiX is supposed to run with 64 MB of RAM I have one thing to say... OMG LIES! AntiX uses Iceape (aka Seamonkey) for browsing, which needs a lot more than 64 MB of RAM.

 

Regarding using Windows98, it can be used safely on the web if the user takes the time to update it as much as possible and implements a default-deny security policy. I use 98 on the net all the time. Using it now. If possible, get some more RAM in that PC. Even 128MB will make a big stability improvement. With a 133mhz, I'd strongly suggest that even 98 be stripped down. Check out 98Lite. The paid version is excellent, but even the free version works well. At the very least, use Ieradicator and get IE off that OS. I also strongly suggest that you visit the MSFN forum, 98 area, and look into the unofficial upgrades there. KernelEX is amazing. NUSB will allow most modern USB devices to work on 98. They're doing some incredible work there. Ignore the "get with the times" comments many make about 98. It can be made into a very stable and secure system. Just takes a little work. I have an old HP with a 366mhz Celeron and 160MB RAM that does just fine on the web. If you're willing to learn the "nuts and bolts" of 98, the free version of System Safety Monitor (SSM) combined with Kerio can make it nearly bulletproof. What Kerio doesn't defend against, SSM does. IMO, it's one of the best security packages you can use. That version of SSM is almost as light as Kerio and won't hurt your performance. I've used it on a PC with a 266Mhz Pentium. My 366mhz unit goes from off to internet ready in 45 seconds. There's a fair amount of work involved in getting 98 internet ready, but once you do it, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. FYI, a 98lite stripped system can be well equipped and still fit on a 1GB drive.


Regarding the Kerio rules, just a couple things to remember. The order the rules are in matters. Kerio starts from the top and uses the first rule that applies. Most of the time, there's no need to allow inbound traffic to the browser. Outbound is sufficient. If you're staying with XP, you might consider disabling the DNS service and let applications do their own. It'll lighten the load on your system slightly. Kerio is even easier on 98. SSM free is fairly easy to set up on 98. It's more difficult on XP as it requires the user to be quite knowledgeable about the workings of their system. See the System Safety Monitor thread for more info regarding it.

 

FYI, there's unofficial updates for 98FE too. They're just as good. 98FE needs more updating than SE but it can be made into just as reliable of a system. It would also be significantly faster on that laptop. Most of the reliability and stability issues claimed for 98 (especially FE) were due to the underpowered hardware it was installed on, especially RAM, and the extra junk PC vendors added to it. My HP runs 98FE and is very stable and reliable.

 

Here FWIW is the learning thread on Kerio:

https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=182158

 

Hey everyone!
Thanks for all the replies!

My thoughts on it.

act8192, I am just now starting to test this firewall, as well as this rule set.
However, I really don't want to disable the DenyAll rule, as that is pretty much unnecessary. First, would start giving me too much alerts (slowing down my laptop). Second, I only want internet for browsing (mostly in OB1) and IM (I will use MirandaIM, but I still have to test it to see if Kerio will allow it right now). Oh, and if I use a cloud antivirus, I will also have to allow that. Other than that, I just want it all blocked... Better be safe than sorry. As long as I can surf the web and talk to people, everything else I want blocked... No one enters my computer!!
As for the other points you mentioned...
I use internet in various locations... So I can't have it configured for one specific ip adress and such... Also, I don't know why, but I used to have svchost using 255.255.255.255 but it wasn't working... I had to put it to all adresses so it would connect to the internet. Also, you are right on the https thing. I will add it later thanks!
Right now my main concern is this: My internet is working great with these rules, but am I protected? Or did I left any "open hole" that might give me trouble? If so, where? I am not concerned about blocking too much, I am worried about not blocking enough lol

Also, for the others coments...
I have decided to stick with XP. 98 would be a good option, but I still prefer to have a more "up to date" OS, as well as it is easier to access internet wireless and use some specific software.
Linux is out of question... I tried it in the past, it was a terrible experience, not to repeat. I guess I am allergic to penguins lol

sunoracle, I have installed avira antivir yesterday (I will take it out ASAP, too havy on the system) and run a scan. It only found one file suspicious. I have deleted this one and it is working just fine. So, yeah, I guess it had something on it, but still, it's my only option... I will run a few portable antispyware and antirootkits on it and see what I find. When I know what is there that is malware, I will format the system and install again, deleting those in the first boot. That should solve it... As for the illegal thing... Yes, it's true, but as I said it's my only option with this computer... AND, I am using ONLY FREEWARE for everything else. In my desktop I also use ONLY FREEWARE and if possible OPEN SOURCE! So, I deserve at least credit for TRYING to stay in the right side of the law. IMHO!

About antivirus, I will try Immunet. It's still in beta, yes. It will take time to get added to the community, yes. But I have read some very good things about it on the internet, so I will try it out. I will let you guys know my opinions on it later

Also, I just want an antivirus because I will feel more safe... Lets see, I don't make downloads, I use a browser that has no javascript or activex or flash, I don't go to dangerous websites (at least I try not to)... I guess it is already safe enough, lol. Antivirus is more necessary because will feel more at ease that way.

Escalader, I have checked that thread. Thanks! Still I prefer to have people helping me with my specific rules set and situation.

It's all for now, keep on giving me opinions about Kerio and if you have any sugestions about antivirus just let me know! I don't want to open another thread in the antivirus section to talk about what is being talked here... Afraid it would be considered "double posting" =S

THANKS EVERYONE!!!

 

So, anymore thoughts on my rule set? I am just afraid of "holes" that I might have left open...

THANKS!