Re: Best Firewall

"J. E. Durbin" <slothrop@example.com.invalid> wrote in message
news:hknhh1p72sd55hf2le90v9j74k051osbi9@4ax.com...
> On Fri, 02 Sep 2005 22:59:57 GMT, "Duane Arnold" <Notme@Notme.com>
> wrote:
>
>>
>>>
>>> The real problem that keeps home users from using hardware firewalls is
>>> they require configuration and if something involves more than "plug in"
>>> and "turn on" most home users "tune out".
>>>
>>
>>But they will sit there and play with a PFW solution and wonder why things
>>are not working with the bloat ware in them. ;-)
>
> Take your hands away from the keyboard, back away from the computer
> for a moment and try to remember what you were like before you became
> a techie.

I have been a techie since 1971 when I first enter the Information
Technology field so it's a moot point.

> Also try to realize that the average home user of today
> won't even install a PFW. In fact, they will plug their PC directly
> into the cable or DSL modem and have never heard of a router.

With all the news about exploits dealing with the Windows O/S, I doubt that
there are too many that don't know about using some type FW solution. Not in
today's socity and environment and the Windows O/S being attacked on a
routine basis. And if they don't know they don't know and they need to learn
and learn quick.

>
> Next come up with a way to convince a 79 year-old user or Joe the
> mechanic and his wife Marge the waitress that they need to spend
> another 50 bucks for a router and $100 - 300 + a $100/year

Where does $100 a year come into play? It's certainly not on a Linksys,
D-Link, Belkin etc router I have seen that you have to pay for firmware
upgrades. The last time I looked and used Tech Support for the Linksys NAT
router I owned, support was free for the registered device.

Now for the FW appliance I own, I am certainly not paying some $100
subscription fee to keep the firmware update and have support as I have not
continued with the subscription. Now if I need to renew it because I need
to update the firmware due to some exploit or a feature I want to add to the
existing firmware, then I'll pay the fee. If it's not broke don't fix it by
continually doing firmware upgrades, IMO for no reason. However, I would say
that is applicable to FW appliances and not NAT routers for home usage where
the firmware can be left static.

> subscription fee for a mystery box that, as far as they can tell,
> should have been part of the PC they already paid good damn money for.

That's their problem. Maybe, they should not be on the Internet. I have some
80 year old users too that had machines that were given to them and all they
did was have the machine exploited on a routine basis exploit after exploit
after exploit, until they finally said they didn't want to be bothered with
a computer and dumped them. ;-)

>
> Got an answer the average, non-techie, user will understand?

There is nothing they can do. They can throw all the crap ware they want on
the machine, and if they don't understand it, they don't understand it. If
the don't know how to protect the O/S, then the don't know how to do it. If
they don't know how to implement safehex
practices or use tools like Firefox or Thunderbird or other solutions other
than MS's solutions, they don't know how to do it.

My first advice would be to anyone would be to get a cheap NAT router and
put it in front of the machine as a start. It is a plug it up and go device
that needs little configuration on the user's part and provides instant
protection from the Internet. It's a standalone device that cannot be
exploited easily or mis-configured like something that's running with the
O/S on the computer.

Duane :)
Received on Thu Sep 29 20:06:02 2005