Firewalls with dial-up access

[gini]

Although I use antivirus software, I have not installed a firewall. How necessary is this for me since I am restricted to dial-up Internet access? I have a home network, but the two computers do not share Internet access. They do, however, share files and a printer.

[Ragnar Paulson]

How comfortable are you with securing your dialup computer? I have seen an unpatched Windows/NT with IIS infected within 45 minutes on a dialup connection. Now there was no reason for this machine to be running IIS (much less an unpatched one) but oversights happen. If you are not running services (IIS, mail, etc). And you are careful to ensure all your shares (files and printers) are password protected in a non-default workgroup, you are in all likelihood safe. Especially on older client OSes like 98 where there are no services to attack. If you do get infected, your antivirus software should pick it up. If all this sounds a bit wishy-washy ... it is. :-) There's no way for me or anyone to guarantee an unprotected machine unless I configured it myself. (I would run a dialup connection without a firewall, but I am sure I've made my machine safe too ... such hubris inevitably leads me to disaster. )Ragnar

[SonicDragon]

Shure, i would run a firewall. Why not? Every little bit helps i guess.

[Guest LilBambi]

We use dialup and are online quite abit ... we do get bumped once in a while and get a new IP address .. even so, it is pretty scary looking when you see the type of traffic we were trapping even on a dialup connection and pretty quickly after a connection without a firewall.I know they say a firewall is not absolutely necessary on dialup ... but I beg to differ A firewall is a great idea for anyone who connects to the Internet as far as I can see.Just my 2 cents

[Guest ComputerBob]

We use dialup and are online quite abit  ... we do get bumped once in a while and get a new IP address .. even so, it is pretty scary looking when you see the type of traffic we were trapping even on a dialup connection and pretty quickly after a connection without a firewall.I know they say a firewall is not absolutely necessary on dialup ... but I beg to differ  A firewall is a great idea for anyone who connects to the Internet as far as I can see.Just my 2 cents 

LilBambi, I've had exactly the same experience, and I have to agree with you 100%.

[Guest LilBambi]

I just knew we couldn't be alone in this

[colin.p]

Any time you are online, no matter how you connect, you should use a FW. They of course are not infallible, but they do work. When you install one, go to PC-Flank http://www.pcflank.com/ or GRC https://grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2 to see how it measures up as far as open ports are concerned.One thing I know I got caught up with when I started to play with FW's is to turn off "alerting". I spent most of my time back tracing hits and soon realized that 99% is just background noise.The main thing is to turn off "file and printer sharing" for the dial up adapter in TCP/IP settings.Another thing is if your connection stops working, suspect the FW. They are now designed to error on the side of more security than less and they will shut down all connection to the Internet.

[enigma-2]

Although I use antivirus software, I have not installed a firewall. How necessary is this for me since I am restricted to dial-up Internet access? I have a home network, but the two computers do not share Internet access. They do, however, share files and a printer. -----Yes, absolutely. It may only take a few minutes before a webbug finds you. Trojans, viruses & worms are hidden in Emails, even self activating trojans are now appearing on webpages (you need only open the web page to activate them.)As many fine personal firewalls are FREE, you are a fool not to load this kind of protection. One of our branch offices had been operating without a firewall & anti-virus. As soon as I learned of this, I had him d/l a copy NAV and ZoneAlarm. He found three trojans/worms/virus and his Outlook log indicated they had mailed themselves out to his address book. And that was also a DUN.A firewall (among other things) will at minimum notify you of an attempt to place an unauthorized outgoing packet. With this information you can then take some needed action. Properly setup, a firewall can also protect you from loading certain types of spyware & the like. Without one at all, a hacker has FULL ACCESS to your machine, your credit cards, social security number, tax returns, passwords, name & address (it's in the registry), financial records (MS Money is a favorite target.) Remember, without a firewall, when you are connected to the internet, it is also connected to you. (Of course the real purpose is to deny access to anyone outside the DMZ; somethine you currently lack.)Also keep in mind that most virus checkers are very weak on things outside of true viruses. Trojans, worms, adware, spyware, etc. You need to d/l and run AdAware 6 & Spybot (both free.) You also need a good trojan detector (not free.)On this laptop, I use Norton's AntiVirus, Trojan Remover, Spybot, Pest Patrol, Ad-aware 6 and Kerio Personal Firewall, and STILL find stuff gets onto my Dial-Up machine. My firewall logs show regular hits. I've been connected for three + hours now and show 74 attempts to probe this address. And all my ports are completely sheathed. Just think about a machine whos ports are showing open........ There are thousands of web bots circulating, hitting each possible web address over and over looking for an open machine. Yours!Zone Alarm is an easy firewall for beginners, and free. Myself I like Kerio (used to be Tiny.) There are several free ones avaliable. Get on asap and get it running. BTW, a good hacker can get into both of your machines with ease. Don't kid yourself, YOU ARE EXACTLY WHAT THE CRACKERS ARE LOOKING FOR, an open machine where they can steal your passwords, idenity and back card numbers, read your email, or anything else. By implanting a trojan, as soon as you make a DUN it calls home and tells the owner of the trojan you are online. You can get hacked in less than one minute!And for some, just to be able to scramble your FAT is satisifaction or knock you off-line with a BSD is enough. Don't be foolish!Start here for all kinds of free internet security software: http://www.firewallguide.com/freeware.htm(Free software:)Kerio Personal Firewall: http://www.kerio.com/kpf_download.html-or-ZoneAlarm Firewall : http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/home.jsp-and-Spybot (scumware remover): http://security.kolla.de/-and-Ad-aware 6 (scumware remover): http://lavasoft.element5.com/support/download/

[Guest ComputerBob]

I urge anyone who's trying to decide whether or not to use a firewall, to read ComputerBob's Guide To Firewalls.

[jbredmound]

Maam, a firewall is not just about keeping the bad guy out, it is about not even letting the bad guy know that you are there. I use Zone Alarm, and speak from that experience; with default settings, everytime I go through a security check, I get a "stealth"-type rating. So bad guys out there on the net, looking for random suckers, will not know I am there. Even with a firewall, a lot of sneak-ware will leak through your ports from the sites you are on (not always their fault), because the bad guys can assume that you are there. But your other ports will not be visible.Yes, those of us with "always on" Internet connections are more at risk than dial-up folks, but that is proportionate to the amount of time spent on line, and how much you want to rely on your luck. Remembering that times when you are active are highest risk for infection also narrows the risk difference between the two connections.Get a firewall, please. 200,000 computers were vulnerable to Slammer, and most of them became DoS servers. Please don't be one of them.

[Freddy]

Without a doubt. install a firewall. Products like ZoneAlarm let you know what applications are trying to access the web. There are also hackers that do nothing but troll IP addresses for computers to hack. Do you use chat (AOL AIM) programs? If so, then its even easier to find and target your computer.I installed a firewall after getting broadband. I recently had to downgrade, but looking at the ZoneAlarm logs, I can see hackers are still trying to gain access.

[muckshifter]

Why are home computers popular targets for intruders? Because they are easy to break into and intruders want to access information that is stored on hard drives such as credit card numbers and other financial account information. But it’s not solely money-related information they’re after. Intruders also want your computer resources, meaning hard disk space, fast processors, and Internet connections. They use these resources to attack other computers on the Internet. The more computers an intruder uses, the harder it is for anyone, including law enforcement, to determine where the attack is coming from. If intruders can’t be found, they can’t be stopped, and they can’t be prosecuted.Why are intruders paying attention to home computers? Home computers are typically not very secure. Intruders can quickly locate and attack them, particularly those with high-speed Internet connections (cable modems and DSL modems) that are always turned on. Regardless of how a home computer accesses the Internet, intruders’ attacks are often successful. Many home computer users don’t realize that they need to become more aware of computer security. Just as a car owner is responsible for having insurance when driving a car, a user has a comparable responsibility for a home computer’s security, particularly when connected to the Internet. This guide recommends actions you, as a home user, can take to improve the security of your home computer. The goal is to keep intruders and their programs from invading yours. Remember, when you’re connected to the Internet, the Internet is connected to you.How do intruders break into home computers? In some cases, they send email with a virus. Reading this email activates the virus, creating a “foot in the door†that an intruder can use to access the computer. In other cases, they take advantage of a flaw or weakness in a software program stored on the computer – a vulnerability – to gain access. In addition, popular applications software (such as media players) and the files they produce (such as Word documents and Excel spreadsheets) can contain viruses when downloaded from an untrustworthy source or updated with bogus patches.Once they’re on a home computer, intruders can install new programs that let them continue to use the computer – even after the user plugs the holes the intruder took advantage of to get onto the computer in the first place. These “backdoors†are often cleverly disguised so that they blend in with other programs and are hard to detect.Whether the computer runs Microsoft® Windows®, Apple’s Mac OS, Linux, or another operating system, the actions you need to take to better secure your home computer are the same and will remain so as new versions of the system are released. Every home user has a responsibility to understand the security-related issues that should be addressed on their computers.The actions in this guide are a summary of more detailed material developed for the GeneralServices Administration’s FedCIRC (Federal Computer Incident Response Center) by theCERT/CC® at Carnegie Mellon University [1]. This material is available at both http://www.fedcirc.gov/homeusers/HomeComputerSecurity/ and http://www.cert.org/homeusers/HomeComputerSecurity/. Consult the Webopedia OnlineDictionary for Computer and Internet Terms at http://www.webopedia.com for the definition of technical terms that is not familiar to you.

[gini]

Thanks to all who've taken the time to reply! Acting on your collective advice, I have ordered and will soon install personal firewall software. I appreciate all the information, and I'm happy to have found this active and well-informed forum.

[Guest ComputerBob]

Thanks to all who've taken the time to reply! Acting on your collective advice, I have ordered and will soon install personal firewall software.  I appreciate all the information, and I'm happy to have found this active and well-informed forum.

Yup, these forums are a great place. The users here are far more patient and knowledgable than the users at most other forums.

[JackR]

This is geared toward broadband, but in essence applies to any Internet connection.http://www.ezlan.net/firewall.html..

[Guest LilBambi]

Definitely some great info collected here on personal firewalls and the need for one.Should be very helpful to anyone who needs some information to help them make an informed decision.