OT: ADSL safe practices and setting up a home network

[Guy Fraser]

On Fri, 2006-14-04 at 14:43 -0400, tfreeman at intel.digichem.net wrote:
> On Fri, 14 Apr 2006, Wolfgang S. Rupprecht wrote:
> 
> > 
> > > But then I have two D-Links, and I'm very happy with both.  
> > 
> > Folks advocating those consumer firewall / NAT boxes might be
> > interested to read this.  
> > 
> >            http://people.freebsd.org/~phk/dlink/
> > 
> <<snip>> 
> > Note, I can't see the value of running one of those under-powered
> > boxes as a firewall.  Why?  It uses the same software firewall that
> > fedora does.  Why not run the firewall on a more powerful box like
> > your main computer?
> 
> To answer your question, sort of, "Because I mess up my more powerful 
> machine on a semi-routine basis." Mind you, I try to keep a firewall going 
> on that more powerful machine also which should be fairly tight also, but 
> I figure one reasonable firewall backup with a second firewall created a 
> different way should be moderately resistant to automated attacks.

Layered defences are definitely the best method of protecting your 
systems. Even at home I have a hardware firewall, but it is 
supplemented, by hardening the machines and installing software 
firewalls on each one as well. Since I don't use the wireless on my 
router I disabled it and put a shielded terminator in place of the
antenna. I have intrusion detectors and other monitoring systems in 
place as well. I am not saying my computers are totally secure, 
but I don't have any confidential info on them. I don't pay any 
bills or do my taxes on any of my machines, and my email is not 
all that interesting, I can promise that.:^(