QUOTE
Firewall Tutorial (The Real Basics).
A firewall implements your security policy. A firewall enforces some security policy. It may be unwritten, but it's still a security policy. In order to have a good firewall, you need a good security policy--one that is written down and widely agreed to.
A firewall is not usually alone. It's usually a collection of devices working together except in the most simple cases (homeuser, small companies etc).
Firewalls are not just install and forget. A firewall needs attention all the time and maintenance is needed all the time (compare it to own a old car).
A firewall is not the answer for all problems. A firewall protects you from a certain class of threats but not everything.
Use a default deny policy. You should always tell your firewall to deny all traffic and then open up only what's needed.
Be hard and dont give in. Your coworkers will always want to do unsafe things. Don't give up to easily be hard, but do not be to hard. If you never listens to your coworkers need then they will start trying to find other ways to do what they want to do.
Do not only trust one level of security. Secure the host system, use log systems and rotating routines.Protect the machine from internal and external threats that include physical access to the firewall.
Only install what you need. Start with a bare minimum machine and then add only what you need no more no less.
Use all available resources. Look for all kind of sources (like this tutorial) before you decide what you need and what you'll implement.
Trust only what you can verify. Don't trust the manual or your coworkers, do verify all your installations and rules to ensure everything is ok.
Reevaluate decisions. Things changes all the time and so do your needs, reevaluate your previous decisions regularly to be sure to have a good security level.
Expect failure. Things can go wrong, prepare for failures and they will not hit you as hard as they should if you not was prepared for them.
Personal Firewalls for Windows:
Product: Supported OS: Vendors homepage:
BlackICE Defender (95,98,Me,NT,2k,XP) http://www.networkice.com/
Norton Personal Firewall 2002 (95,98,Me,NT,2k,XP) http://www.symantec.com/
Sygate Personal Firewall (95,98,Me,NT,2k,XP) http://www.sygate.com/
Tiny Personal Firewall (95,98,Me,NT,2k,XP) http://www.tinysoftware.com/
ZoneAlarm (free/pro) (95,98,Me,NT,2k,XP) http://www.zonelabs.com/
ConSeal PC Firewall (95,98,Me,NT,2k) http://www.consealfirewall.com/
DeerField Personal Firewall (95,98,Me,NT,2k) http://dpf.deerfield.com/
HackTracer (95,98,Me,NT,2k) http://www.sharptechnology.com/
Look'n'Stop (95,98,Me,NT,2k) http://www.looknstop.com/
McAfee Firewall (95,98,Me,NT,2k,XP) http://www.mcafee-at-home.com/
NeoWatch 2.0 (95,98,Me,NT,2k) http://www.neoworx.com/
PC Viper (95,98,Me,NT,2k) http://www.pcviper.com/
Preventon Personal Firewall (98,ME) http://www.preventon.com/
PrivateFirewall (95,98,NT) http://www.privacyware.com/
TermiNet (95,98,Me,NT,2k) http://www.gis-secure.com/
CheckIT Firewall (95,98,Me,NT,2k) http://www.smithmicro.com/
eTrust EZ Firewall (95,98,Me,NT,2k) http://www.my-etrust.com/
Firekeys (95,98,Me,NT,2k,XP) http://softappco.com/
Freedom Personal Firewall (95,98,Me,NT,2k,XP) http://www.freedom.net/
GuardWall Personal Firewall (beta) http://www.failsafetechnologies.com/
Mindsoft Firewall (95,98,Me,NT,2k,XP) http://www.mindsoftweb.com/
Norman Personal Firewall (95,98,Me,NT,2k) http://www.norman.com/
Outpost, Agnitum (95,98,Me,NT,2k,XP) http://www.agnitum.com/
pcInternet Patrol (95,98,Me,NT,2k,XP) http://www.isa-llc.com/
TGB::BOB! TheGreenBow (95,98,Me,NT,2k) http://www.thegreenbow.com/
eSafe Desktop (95,98,Me,NT,2k,XP) http://www.ealaddin.com/
VirusMD Personal Firewall (95,98,Me,NT,2k) http://www.virusmd.com/
Freedom Personal Firewall (95,98,Me,NT,2k,XP) http://www.freedom.net/
Commercial firewalls:
Product: Supported OS: Vendors homepage:
Border manager Netware http://www.novell.com/
SunScreen Solaris http://www.sun.com/
Borderware FreeBSD http://www.border.com/
Cisco PIX PIX OS http://www.cisco.com/
Raptor (Symantec Enterprise Firewall) Win,Solaris http://www.symantec.com/
Gauntlet Firewall Solaris, HP-UX http://www.pgp.com/
CheckPoint Firewall-1 *nix http://www.checkpoint.com/
SecurePoint Firewall 2.0 Linux http://www.securepoint.cc/
SonicWalls Firewalls *nix http://www.firewalls.com/
*nix "free" firewalls:
Product: Supported OS: Vendors homepage:
Iptables Linux (2.4.x) http://www.iptables.org/
Ipchains Linux http://www.netfilter.org/ipchains/
IP Filter *nix http://coombs.anu.edu.au/~avalon/
DrawBridge FreeBSD http://drawbridge.tamu.edu/
Falcon Firewall *nix http://falcon.naw.de/
Firestarter Linux http://firestarter.sourceforge.net/
FireWall Tool Kit *nix http://www.fwtk.org/main.html
gShield Linux (Iptables) http://muse.linuxmafia.org/gshield.html
ETC Firewall Linux http://www.atm.cyberec.com/~stingray/index.html
SecurePoint Firewall 1.1 Linux http://www.securepoint.cc/
T.REX Firewall *nix http://www.opensourcefirewall.com/
Floppy distributions:
Product: Supported OS: Vendors homepage:
FloppyFW Linux (2.2-2.4.x) http://www.zelow.no/floppyfw/
FREESCO Linux http://www.freesco.org/
Secure and dedicated distributions:
Product: Supported OS: Vendors homepage:
Smoothwall Linux http://www.smootwall.org
EnGarde Secure Linux Linux http://www.engardelinux.com/
Immunix Linux http://www.immunix.com/
Security hardening tools and add-ons for *nix:
Product: Supported OS: Vendors homepage:
Bastille Linux Red Hat Linux and compatible. http://www.bastille-linux.org/
Open Wall Project Linux Kernel 2.2.x http://www.openwall.com/linux/
YASSP Solaris http://www.yassp.org/
Free online audit and penetrate testing tools:
Gibson Research Corporation (ShieldsUp). https://grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2
Networkscan (Formerly HackerWhacker Junior) http://networkscan.com/
Sygate Online Services http://scan.sygatetech.com/
Julia Thomas Associates (Winuke Test Page) http://www.jtan.com/resources/winnuke.html
Tools for audit, monitoring, analyzing and penetrate testing:
Product: Supported OS: Vendors homepage:
Dsniff *nix http://www.monkey.org/~dugsong/dsniff/
Nmap *nix http://www.insecure.org
NmapNT Win http://www.eeye.com/
p0f *nix http://www.stearns.org/p0f/
Nessus *nix (win client) http://www.nessus.org/
Saint *nix http://www.wwdsi.com/saint/
Tripwire *nix http://www.tripwire.com/
GFI Win http://www.gfisoftware.com/
Retina Security Scanner Win http://www.eeye.com/
AntiSniff *nix, Win http://www.securitysoftwaretech.com/
Webtrends Firewall Suite Win http://www.webtrends.com/
FAQ (firewall questions and answers):
Q: Im using windows 2000 do I have to be worried when Im out surfing the net?
A: Security has not much to do with the operating system you use. You have to try to be prepared of all possible threats and use your common sense, knowledge is the best key in avoiding computer related threats.
Q: What is a Firewall and what good can it do for me?
A: A firewall is basically a filtering application capable of stop unwanted traffic to and from your network.
Q: I have heard the expression Personal Firewall, what is that?
A: A personal firewall is basically a application capable of stopping unwanted traffic to and from your personal computer.
Q: Can a Firewall stop viruses from getting to my computer?
A: Yes to a certain point but a firewall is not build to stop viruses and my advice is to use a good AV scanner as a compliment to your firewall application.
Q: Were can I find more information about Firewalls?
A: Please visit any of the links at the top of this document, or use the reference library at the bottom.
Q: I have a Personal Firewall what can I do more to protect my computer?
A: One of the first rules is to have all available security patches and fixes installed. And you should always use a good Anti virus product and optionally a "ad" and "spyware" scanner to protect your privacy. You may also check out the preferable security settings in the programs you have installed in your computer and adept them after your needs. Dont forget that "cookies" can reveal much information about you and your computer.
Firewall and other network security references on the Internet.
iptables Tutorial 1.1.7: http://www.linuxsecurity.com/resource_file...s-tutorial.html
Linux Firewall and Security Site: http://www.linux-firewall-tools.com/linux/
Linux Kernel Hardening: http://securityfocus.com/infocus/1539
IP Filter Based Firewalls HOWTO: http://www.obfuscation.org/ipf/ipf-howto.txt
Distributed Denial of Service Attacks: http://www.opensourcefirewall.com/ddos_whitepaper_copy.html
Linux FreeS/WAN is an implementation of IPSEC & IKE for Linux: http://www.freeswan.org/
Dynamic Iptables Firewalls "flexible (and fun) network security": http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/linu...ml?dwzone=linux
PhoneBoys Firewall-1 FAQ's: http://www.phoneboy.com/
Gibson Research Corporation: http://grc.com/
Auditing your Firewall: http://www.enteract.com/~lspitz/audit.html
IACIS "law enforcement" (hopefully you'll never need their services Smile): http://www.cops.org/
Linux Step-By-Step (Great Newbie Guide to Linux): http://linux.nf/stepbystep.html
Lance's Security Whitepapers: http://www.enteract.com/~lspitz/pubs.html
A firewall implements your security policy. A firewall enforces some security policy. It may be unwritten, but it's still a security policy. In order to have a good firewall, you need a good security policy--one that is written down and widely agreed to.
A firewall is not usually alone. It's usually a collection of devices working together except in the most simple cases (homeuser, small companies etc).
Firewalls are not just install and forget. A firewall needs attention all the time and maintenance is needed all the time (compare it to own a old car).
A firewall is not the answer for all problems. A firewall protects you from a certain class of threats but not everything.
Use a default deny policy. You should always tell your firewall to deny all traffic and then open up only what's needed.
Be hard and dont give in. Your coworkers will always want to do unsafe things. Don't give up to easily be hard, but do not be to hard. If you never listens to your coworkers need then they will start trying to find other ways to do what they want to do.
Do not only trust one level of security. Secure the host system, use log systems and rotating routines.Protect the machine from internal and external threats that include physical access to the firewall.
Only install what you need. Start with a bare minimum machine and then add only what you need no more no less.
Use all available resources. Look for all kind of sources (like this tutorial) before you decide what you need and what you'll implement.
Trust only what you can verify. Don't trust the manual or your coworkers, do verify all your installations and rules to ensure everything is ok.
Reevaluate decisions. Things changes all the time and so do your needs, reevaluate your previous decisions regularly to be sure to have a good security level.
Expect failure. Things can go wrong, prepare for failures and they will not hit you as hard as they should if you not was prepared for them.
Personal Firewalls for Windows:
Product: Supported OS: Vendors homepage:
BlackICE Defender (95,98,Me,NT,2k,XP) http://www.networkice.com/
Norton Personal Firewall 2002 (95,98,Me,NT,2k,XP) http://www.symantec.com/
Sygate Personal Firewall (95,98,Me,NT,2k,XP) http://www.sygate.com/
Tiny Personal Firewall (95,98,Me,NT,2k,XP) http://www.tinysoftware.com/
ZoneAlarm (free/pro) (95,98,Me,NT,2k,XP) http://www.zonelabs.com/
ConSeal PC Firewall (95,98,Me,NT,2k) http://www.consealfirewall.com/
DeerField Personal Firewall (95,98,Me,NT,2k) http://dpf.deerfield.com/
HackTracer (95,98,Me,NT,2k) http://www.sharptechnology.com/
Look'n'Stop (95,98,Me,NT,2k) http://www.looknstop.com/
McAfee Firewall (95,98,Me,NT,2k,XP) http://www.mcafee-at-home.com/
NeoWatch 2.0 (95,98,Me,NT,2k) http://www.neoworx.com/
PC Viper (95,98,Me,NT,2k) http://www.pcviper.com/
Preventon Personal Firewall (98,ME) http://www.preventon.com/
PrivateFirewall (95,98,NT) http://www.privacyware.com/
TermiNet (95,98,Me,NT,2k) http://www.gis-secure.com/
CheckIT Firewall (95,98,Me,NT,2k) http://www.smithmicro.com/
eTrust EZ Firewall (95,98,Me,NT,2k) http://www.my-etrust.com/
Firekeys (95,98,Me,NT,2k,XP) http://softappco.com/
Freedom Personal Firewall (95,98,Me,NT,2k,XP) http://www.freedom.net/
GuardWall Personal Firewall (beta) http://www.failsafetechnologies.com/
Mindsoft Firewall (95,98,Me,NT,2k,XP) http://www.mindsoftweb.com/
Norman Personal Firewall (95,98,Me,NT,2k) http://www.norman.com/
Outpost, Agnitum (95,98,Me,NT,2k,XP) http://www.agnitum.com/
pcInternet Patrol (95,98,Me,NT,2k,XP) http://www.isa-llc.com/
TGB::BOB! TheGreenBow (95,98,Me,NT,2k) http://www.thegreenbow.com/
eSafe Desktop (95,98,Me,NT,2k,XP) http://www.ealaddin.com/
VirusMD Personal Firewall (95,98,Me,NT,2k) http://www.virusmd.com/
Freedom Personal Firewall (95,98,Me,NT,2k,XP) http://www.freedom.net/
Commercial firewalls:
Product: Supported OS: Vendors homepage:
Border manager Netware http://www.novell.com/
SunScreen Solaris http://www.sun.com/
Borderware FreeBSD http://www.border.com/
Cisco PIX PIX OS http://www.cisco.com/
Raptor (Symantec Enterprise Firewall) Win,Solaris http://www.symantec.com/
Gauntlet Firewall Solaris, HP-UX http://www.pgp.com/
CheckPoint Firewall-1 *nix http://www.checkpoint.com/
SecurePoint Firewall 2.0 Linux http://www.securepoint.cc/
SonicWalls Firewalls *nix http://www.firewalls.com/
*nix "free" firewalls:
Product: Supported OS: Vendors homepage:
Iptables Linux (2.4.x) http://www.iptables.org/
Ipchains Linux http://www.netfilter.org/ipchains/
IP Filter *nix http://coombs.anu.edu.au/~avalon/
DrawBridge FreeBSD http://drawbridge.tamu.edu/
Falcon Firewall *nix http://falcon.naw.de/
Firestarter Linux http://firestarter.sourceforge.net/
FireWall Tool Kit *nix http://www.fwtk.org/main.html
gShield Linux (Iptables) http://muse.linuxmafia.org/gshield.html
ETC Firewall Linux http://www.atm.cyberec.com/~stingray/index.html
SecurePoint Firewall 1.1 Linux http://www.securepoint.cc/
T.REX Firewall *nix http://www.opensourcefirewall.com/
Floppy distributions:
Product: Supported OS: Vendors homepage:
FloppyFW Linux (2.2-2.4.x) http://www.zelow.no/floppyfw/
FREESCO Linux http://www.freesco.org/
Secure and dedicated distributions:
Product: Supported OS: Vendors homepage:
Smoothwall Linux http://www.smootwall.org
EnGarde Secure Linux Linux http://www.engardelinux.com/
Immunix Linux http://www.immunix.com/
Security hardening tools and add-ons for *nix:
Product: Supported OS: Vendors homepage:
Bastille Linux Red Hat Linux and compatible. http://www.bastille-linux.org/
Open Wall Project Linux Kernel 2.2.x http://www.openwall.com/linux/
YASSP Solaris http://www.yassp.org/
Free online audit and penetrate testing tools:
Gibson Research Corporation (ShieldsUp). https://grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2
Networkscan (Formerly HackerWhacker Junior) http://networkscan.com/
Sygate Online Services http://scan.sygatetech.com/
Julia Thomas Associates (Winuke Test Page) http://www.jtan.com/resources/winnuke.html
Tools for audit, monitoring, analyzing and penetrate testing:
Product: Supported OS: Vendors homepage:
Dsniff *nix http://www.monkey.org/~dugsong/dsniff/
Nmap *nix http://www.insecure.org
NmapNT Win http://www.eeye.com/
p0f *nix http://www.stearns.org/p0f/
Nessus *nix (win client) http://www.nessus.org/
Saint *nix http://www.wwdsi.com/saint/
Tripwire *nix http://www.tripwire.com/
GFI Win http://www.gfisoftware.com/
Retina Security Scanner Win http://www.eeye.com/
AntiSniff *nix, Win http://www.securitysoftwaretech.com/
Webtrends Firewall Suite Win http://www.webtrends.com/
FAQ (firewall questions and answers):
Q: Im using windows 2000 do I have to be worried when Im out surfing the net?
A: Security has not much to do with the operating system you use. You have to try to be prepared of all possible threats and use your common sense, knowledge is the best key in avoiding computer related threats.
Q: What is a Firewall and what good can it do for me?
A: A firewall is basically a filtering application capable of stop unwanted traffic to and from your network.
Q: I have heard the expression Personal Firewall, what is that?
A: A personal firewall is basically a application capable of stopping unwanted traffic to and from your personal computer.
Q: Can a Firewall stop viruses from getting to my computer?
A: Yes to a certain point but a firewall is not build to stop viruses and my advice is to use a good AV scanner as a compliment to your firewall application.
Q: Were can I find more information about Firewalls?
A: Please visit any of the links at the top of this document, or use the reference library at the bottom.
Q: I have a Personal Firewall what can I do more to protect my computer?
A: One of the first rules is to have all available security patches and fixes installed. And you should always use a good Anti virus product and optionally a "ad" and "spyware" scanner to protect your privacy. You may also check out the preferable security settings in the programs you have installed in your computer and adept them after your needs. Dont forget that "cookies" can reveal much information about you and your computer.
Firewall and other network security references on the Internet.
iptables Tutorial 1.1.7: http://www.linuxsecurity.com/resource_file...s-tutorial.html
Linux Firewall and Security Site: http://www.linux-firewall-tools.com/linux/
Linux Kernel Hardening: http://securityfocus.com/infocus/1539
IP Filter Based Firewalls HOWTO: http://www.obfuscation.org/ipf/ipf-howto.txt
Distributed Denial of Service Attacks: http://www.opensourcefirewall.com/ddos_whitepaper_copy.html
Linux FreeS/WAN is an implementation of IPSEC & IKE for Linux: http://www.freeswan.org/
Dynamic Iptables Firewalls "flexible (and fun) network security": http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/linu...ml?dwzone=linux
PhoneBoys Firewall-1 FAQ's: http://www.phoneboy.com/
Gibson Research Corporation: http://grc.com/
Auditing your Firewall: http://www.enteract.com/~lspitz/audit.html
IACIS "law enforcement" (hopefully you'll never need their services Smile): http://www.cops.org/
Linux Step-By-Step (Great Newbie Guide to Linux): http://linux.nf/stepbystep.html
Lance's Security Whitepapers: http://www.enteract.com/~lspitz/pubs.html
