Kurt Wild on thu 31 jan 02
I have checked the archives but am having difficulty finding an answer .
Is a firewall really important/necessary for a personal computer user with
Broadband service?
Is a firewall really important /necessary for a personal computer user with
DSL service?
Kurt
b_a_stevens on thu 31 jan 02
firewalls are important for ALL internet users. try zonealarm (
www.zonealarm.com ) or sygate ( www.sygate.com ) both are free
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kurt Wild"
To:
Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2002 9:41 AM
Subject: DSL & Broadband firewall
> I have checked the archives but am having difficulty finding an answer .
>
> Is a firewall really important/necessary for a personal computer user with
> Broadband service?
>
> Is a firewall really important /necessary for a personal computer user
with
> DSL service?
>
> Kurt
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
__
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
>
Tony Ferguson on thu 31 jan 02
Unless your holding government secrets, I wouldn't worry about it.
Companies like to sell you stuff!
If you have cable, then dis-connect your cable from your computer because it
is always on. DSL is on but only if you computer is connected. You can
disable this by turning it off. Back your stuff up, have a good virus
program that checks anything coming in or going out. A good way to do this
is have all your important documents in one place (a folder) and drop and
drag to CD or zip disk. Have all your programs ready for reinstall in a
safe place, prefarably on 2 CD's incase one is bad or scratched.
Broadband basically stands for anything faster than 56k, be it DSL or cable,
or T1 line or up (like a University connection). Fancy name. Having known
a few hackers--they only look for interesting stuff! Don't have any
financial information on your computer either. I do but I add numbers. If
you have dial up, ask yourself why is a hacker going to waste his or her
time when they can more efficiently hack through a DSL or cable connection.
The problem is folks get lazy and careless. There are auto dialers and auto
ip address programs that allow a hacker to find "open" computers and extract
data. I really wouldn't worry about it. They are more interested in things
like private companies, governement, ufo coverups, and cracking software for
the fun of it--this means one goes into the program and rewrite the code so
the program works with out the key. Acutally, most hackers are like Robin
Hood--they like to find the unjust and corrupt and may expose them, move
their software around, numbers, etc. Most are amateurs and harmless. They
would like potters!
Tony Ferguson
www.aquariusartgallery.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kurt Wild"
To:
Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2002 7:41 AM
Subject: DSL & Broadband firewall
> I have checked the archives but am having difficulty finding an answer .
>
> Is a firewall really important/necessary for a personal computer user with
> Broadband service?
>
> Is a firewall really important /necessary for a personal computer user
with
> DSL service?
>
> Kurt
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
__
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
Dewitt on thu 31 jan 02
A firewall really is important for any full time connection, whether it's a
high speed connection or not. It's not a bad idea when using a modem for
net access either. I have a firewall on my DSL connection and it detects
attempted access at least 3 or 4 times a week even though my ISP blocks
access from outside its network of systems.
deg
At 09:41 1/31/02 -0600, Kurt Wild wrote:
>I have checked the archives but am having difficulty finding an answer .
>
>Is a firewall really important/necessary for a personal computer user with
>Broadband service?
>
>Is a firewall really important /necessary for a personal computer user with
>DSL service?
>
>Kurt
>
>______________________________________________________________________________
>Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
>You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
>settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
>Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
>melpots@pclink.com.
>
---------------------------
Dewitt Gimblet
dewitt@texas.net
Austin, TX
---------------------------
Timothy Sullivan on thu 31 jan 02
I have DSL and use Norton's Internet Security software. I regularly get
external sites trying to access my system, and I just didn't feel comfortable
anymore without it. One caveat is that occasionally you have to disable it
to get to a web page from a referring site.
Tim in Atlanta
Jones Pottery on thu 31 jan 02
Hello,
I have DSL and use a Linksys router and 4 port hub to share access to 3
computers in our house. The router has a built in "firewall" but unless it
is configured worng, I can still break thru it at ease. My point is, if
someone wants to get into your computer badly enough, they can if well
skilled. There are also many types of "programs" or virus like scripts that
can be downloaded that will pass right through the firewall. Websites are
fairly easy to hack as well. If you host your own site......BEWARE. Websites
are really easy to hack into especially if they contain banners or ads of
some kind. My best advice is to keep a clean computer, always have a current
backup of important stuff, and definately keep a current backup of your
website.
Just my 2 cents.....Chris
www.jonespottery.net
----- Original Message -----
From: Kurt Wild
To:
Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2002 10:41 AM
Subject: DSL & Broadband firewall
> I have checked the archives but am having difficulty finding an answer .
>
> Is a firewall really important/necessary for a personal computer user with
> Broadband service?
>
> Is a firewall really important /necessary for a personal computer user
with
> DSL service?
>
> Kurt
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
__
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
>
Richard Jeffery on thu 31 jan 02
yes
Norton personal firewall saves my bacon several times a day - and that's
without broadband/dsl. [I'm on probably 18/24 hours]
it's cheap, it works, you can use it straight from the box, or tweak it if
you know what you're doing. it will upgrade itself from Symantec web site.
or you can try something like zone alarm, which some folk like. that used
to be free, for some level of protection.
Richard Jeffery
Web Design and Photography
www.theeleventhweb.co.uk
Bournemouth UK
-----Original Message-----
From: Ceramic Arts Discussion List [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG]On
Behalf Of Kurt Wild
Sent: 31 January 2002 15:42
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: DSL & Broadband firewall
I have checked the archives but am having difficulty finding an answer .
Is a firewall really important/necessary for a personal computer user with
Broadband service?
Is a firewall really important /necessary for a personal computer user with
DSL service?
Kurt
____________________________________________________________________________
__
Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
Dewitt on thu 31 jan 02
At 14:44 1/31/02 -0500, Timothy Sullivan wrote:
>I have DSL and use Norton's Internet Security software. I regularly get
>external sites trying to access my system, and I just didn't feel comfortable
>anymore without it. One caveat is that occasionally you have to disable it
>to get to a web page from a referring site.
Instead of disabling internet security, uou can go into "Advanced Options"
and set the Privacy option on the site to permit "Referer"
deg
>Tim in Atlanta
>
>______________________________________________________________________________
>Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
>You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
>settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
>Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
>melpots@pclink.com.
---------------------------
Dewitt Gimblet
dewitt@texas.net
Austin, TX
---------------------------
Kurt Wild on thu 31 jan 02
At 07:50 PM 1/31/02 +0000, you wrote:
>yes
>
>Norton personal firewall saves my bacon several times a day - and that's
>without broadband/dsl. [I'm on probably 18/24 hours]
>
>it's cheap, it works, you can use it straight from the box, or tweak it if
>you know what you're doing. it will upgrade itself from Symantec web site.
>
>or you can try something like zone alarm, which some folk like. that used
>to be free, for some level of protection.
Thanks for the advise. I appreciate it.
Kurt
Kurt Wild on thu 31 jan 02
At 04:08 PM 1/31/02 -0500, you wrote:
>............
>Just my 2 cents.....Chris
Chris, thanks! But, it was worth more than two cents. I appreciate your
response.
Kurt
Judy Wesley on thu 31 jan 02
Coming from the perspective of a computer professional (20+ years); I
recommend that anyone who has a broadband Internet connection (DSL or Cable)
should be using a personal firewall. You may not think your system has the
nuggets that a large corporation does, but for kiddie hackers and bored
college students any open system is attractive. Even if you don't have
personal information on your system, the nuisance value of having to rebuild
a system and restore all the programs and data is high.
That said, I recommend:
(1) Go to Gibson Research, a reputable firm that's been around for a decade
or so, and use their software to test the security of your system. It's
free, and the Shields Up security test is at: http://www.grc.com
(2) After you've discovered how vulnerable your system is, go to Zone Labs
and get their free personal firewall system, named Zone Alarm. Their web
address is: http://www.zonelabs.com
You'll notice that neither of these steps will cost you any money :-) and my
advice is certainly free!
Dan Wesley
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tony Ferguson"
To:
Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2002 1:23 PM
Subject: Re: DSL & Broadband firewall
> Unless your holding government secrets, I wouldn't worry about it.
> Companies like to sell you stuff!
>
> If you have cable, then dis-connect your cable from your computer because
it
> is always on. DSL is on but only if you computer is connected. You can
> disable this by turning it off. Back your stuff up, have a good virus
> program that checks anything coming in or going out. A good way to do
this
> is have all your important documents in one place (a folder) and drop and
> drag to CD or zip disk. Have all your programs ready for reinstall in a
> safe place, prefarably on 2 CD's incase one is bad or scratched.
>
> Broadband basically stands for anything faster than 56k, be it DSL or
cable,
> or T1 line or up (like a University connection). Fancy name. Having
known
> a few hackers--they only look for interesting stuff! Don't have any
> financial information on your computer either. I do but I add numbers.
If
> you have dial up, ask yourself why is a hacker going to waste his or her
> time when they can more efficiently hack through a DSL or cable
connection.
> The problem is folks get lazy and careless. There are auto dialers and
auto
> ip address programs that allow a hacker to find "open" computers and
extract
> data. I really wouldn't worry about it. They are more interested in
things
> like private companies, governement, ufo coverups, and cracking software
for
> the fun of it--this means one goes into the program and rewrite the code
so
> the program works with out the key. Acutally, most hackers are like Robin
> Hood--they like to find the unjust and corrupt and may expose them, move
> their software around, numbers, etc. Most are amateurs and harmless. They
> would like potters!
>
>
>
> Tony Ferguson
> www.aquariusartgallery.com
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Kurt Wild"
> To:
> Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2002 7:41 AM
> Subject: DSL & Broadband firewall
>
>
> > I have checked the archives but am having difficulty finding an answer .
> >
> > Is a firewall really important/necessary for a personal computer user
with
> > Broadband service?
> >
> > Is a firewall really important /necessary for a personal computer user
> with
> > DSL service?
> >
> > Kurt
> >
> >
>
____________________________________________________________________________
> __
> > Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
> >
> > You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> > settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
> >
> > Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
> melpots@pclink.com.
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
__
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
>
Helen Bates on fri 1 feb 02
Dear Kurt,
I don't know the answer to this one. I thought I'd put McAfee
Firewall on my computer (Broadband LAN) and get more protection
against "Hackers", viruses, whatever else is out there.
Well, I put it on from my McAfee Office CD-ROM and was finishing up
configuring it when I had my crash last fall. I think I had been
making several changes at the time to my system, but it was the McAfee
work that I was doing when I had the severe problem with my Windows
drivers.
Well, I had the system into the shop, all fixed up, and tried again,
this time with another CD-ROM from McAfee, the newest antivirus McAfee
in the store, which came with a firewall application to install if
desired.
I installed the firewall, told it what internet applications to allow
and all ran nicely for a bit, then I started losing Windows drivers.
Once the sound driver for my sound card, got that back installed
myself, and then the video driver went. Sheesh!
Eventually got the computer driver reloaded, after uninstalling the
firewall, and reinstalling the video driver.
This story is not very coherent, sorry. I'm not sure now of all the
things I did and which were done by the tech guy, but the upshot of it
all is, I use my McAfee Antivirus, but not the firewall. It was too
interfering with the system for me to cope with. Must need a super
guru to set it up. Not "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing" me,
anyway!
Helen
--
===================================================
Helen Bates - mailto:nell@quintenet.com,
mailto:nelba@nycny.net
Web - http://www.geocities.com/nelbanell/
B. Amsterlaw's links: to Clayarters' Web Links -
http://amsterlaw.com/clayart.html
to my Clayart Posts - http://amsterlaw.com/nell/
===================================================
From:
Kurt Wild
Thu 10:41 AM
Subject:
DSL & Broadband firewall
I have checked the archives but am having difficulty finding an answer
.
Is a firewall really important/necessary for a personal computer user
with
Broadband service?
Is a firewall really important /necessary for a personal computer user
with
DSL service?
Kurt
Judy Wesley on sat 2 feb 02
Dan replied personally to Kurt Wild's DSL & Broadband firewall query of
2/1/2002. (Being a true computer geek, he was concerned that he might be
jamming up Clayart with all kinds of technical details we mightn't be
interested in. However, there's hope for him--he also makes pots.) If
anyone else is interested in the reply, let me know and I'll pass it on to
you.
Judy Wesley
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