Anyway to turn Router into a firewall?

Hi I am not entirely sure about this but a while back i got a wireless Router for my internet connection which is setup via the ethernet port. (its not running wireless though).

Its the "Realtech RTL8139/810x Family Fast Ethernet NIC"

I was just wondering as a lot of people on this forum talk about Router hardware based Firewalls. Is there anyway to turn this into a hardware firewall. Or have i misunderstood the term router and there are diffferent types. As like i say i am using it to connect to the internet. But if i can use it as a firewall too that would be extremelly handy.

Thanks
Anthony

 

Anthony,

NAT routers are "hardware firewalls " in that they drop unsolicited inbound packets. They don't monitor content, nor do they screen access by application. Basically they prevent communication on the WAN side unless it has been initiated by your PC. That's really just one aspect of firewall operations, but it's a fairly critical one and one that involves a large fraction of the potential volume of activity.

Blue

 

Anthony,

Check out GRC's Security Now Archive and look for the article about NAT Routers as Firewalls.
While there, you might find some other interesting articles too.

 

So can i ask just to be certain, is this definitely a NAT router i have on my machine. And if it is, therefore it is now (if i have read it right) already acting as a firewall and i dont need to do anything.

If it is acting as a firewall then can i ask why do i get portscan warnings from outpost frequently. Why isnt the router stopping them (as you can see routers arent really my speciality).

Thanks
Anthony

 

Anthony,

Exactly what hardware do you have connected. You mentioned a "Realtech RTL8139/810x Family Fast Ethernet NIC". This is your ethernet card, not a router. What is used as a router?

Blue

 

I am very sorry about that, i got confused between its connection and the device.

From looking at the manual it says its a ActionTech Wireless DSL Gateway model number: GT701WG.

I bought it on the basis of it being a router.

Thanks
Anthony

 

I've got the same DSL modem, it's pretty nice. It does have a NAT in it, for sure, so unless you have some forwarded ports or set your computer in the DMZ, I'm not sure why you would be getting port scan notices, unless through connections you have opened. If you go through the modem settings, though, it does have some 'firewall' capability, which is pretty much blocking anything except ports needed for web browsing, email, IM, etc, depending on the level you set. If you use anything outside of those basic things, you may not be able to use that feature. I can't listen to internet radio with it on even low, for example.

 

Do you have some sample logs from Outpost?

Regards,

CrazyM