Results 1 to 10 of 10

Thread: Multiple firewalls on same network?

  1. #1
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2002
    Posts
    137

    Multiple firewalls on same network?

    Do you need firewalls for each computer on the network? (like Zone Alarm Pro) I know you need anti virus for each, but what about firewalls? I did a search but didnt find what I needed.

  2. #2
    Its smart to have Firewalls on all your boxes. Not to mention atleast a router with NAT
    Routers built without NAT serve no protection.
    DEFINITION:Network address translation(NAT) is used to remap IP #'s from one address range to another range of network addresses. For TCP and UDP, this also can include the port numbers. The IP#'s/port #'s are changed when a packet is going out through an interface and IP Filter matches it against a NAT rules.
    Packets coming back in the same interface are remapped, as a matter of course, to their original address information.

    I USE SUPER SECURITY MEASURES LIKE
    SMOOTHWALL
    DEFINITION: SmoothWall is a best-of-breed Internet firewall/router, designed to run on commodity Intel (or compatible) PCs, and to give an easy-to-use administration interface to those using it.
    WWW.SMOOTHWALL.ORG

    (suggestion)And speaking of configuration. Minimal amount of services you use on a XP comp, the less choices for the kiddies. I'll just share with you the registry entry I created over at www.blackviper.com (excellent resource by the way). I think the guy is a genus in my opinion.



  3. #3
    Elite Hacker
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Posts
    1,407
    It's not totally necessary if your router has a built-in firewall, but it is a good idea. Of course, if your firewall is not configured properly then it won't make much difference, because you're screwed anyway. Personally, I have a hardware firewall in my router and I don't run any other software firewalls on the individual computers. I used to use the free version of zone alarm but I got tired of having to click allow even though every time I would set a rule, it just wouldn't remember it. I would say if you want to put up a firewall on each computer, go for it, you will be a little more secure, as long as you configure it properly.

  4. #4
    Priapistic Monk KorpDeath's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2001
    Posts
    2,628
    It's a practical step. Yet another layer of security can't be a bad thing... No one can argue against having more security.
    Mankind have a great aversion to intellectual labor; but even supposing knowledge to be easily attainable, more people would be content to be ignorant than would take even a little trouble to acquire it.
    - Samuel Johnson

  5. #5
    Senior Member nihil's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    United Kingdom: Bridlington
    Posts
    17,188
    Just a couple of thoughts based on what I have seen/experienced NOT technical knowledge

    Your servers/network certainly need firewall protection. Some people use more than one, as they seem more tolerant of eachother than AV products, however, each one represents a system overhead so you slow things down.

    As for individual client boxes, this would very much depend on where you are.

    You have two basic sorts of enemy..............the ones outside and the ones within. The server firewalls should protect your intranet, or they are not doing their job.

    If you are in a school/college , you may need an internal wall to protect the teaching staff from the predatory acts of unscrupulous students? also from crap that they have unleashed on the community due to their selfish, ignorant and antisocial behaviours.

    "How do I get through the Sysadmins' block on prOn/gaming/hacker websites".......if you don't believe me just read through a few of the older threads on this site.

    I guess my answer for now is that some individual machines might need an independent firewall, but keep it simple like the User

    Cheers

  6. #6
    Dead Man Walking
    Join Date
    Jan 2003
    Posts
    810
    H3r3tic: try sygate. Its alot better in my book.

  7. #7
    Elite Hacker
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Posts
    1,407
    That's what I here zombiemann, but I don't use any software firewall anymore, I just trust the one in my router.

  8. #8
    THE Bastard Sys***** dinowuff's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Location
    Third planet from the Sun
    Posts
    1,253
    I only use software firewalls on remote user machines. Besides NAT I do some additional port forwarding at the gateway (Cisco). The firewall attached to the router handles everything else. My biggest problem with software firewalls is that the user will look at the logs and call me saying someone is hacking their PC. -normal network traffic is sometimes reported by the firewall as SYN, ACK, etc. attacks.

    nihil has the most important solution description - Keep it simple for the user.

  9. #9
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2002
    Posts
    137
    Hey thanks for the good information and going out and beyond my question.

  10. #10
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Posts
    372
    I guess it's really going to depend on the type of network you are talking about. If you are talking a personal/home network then sure, a firewall on every machine is not a bad idea... even a built in "firewall" on a router isn't a bad thing either.

    But if you are talking about a business network, then I would have to say no to having a firewall on every machine. For one the overhead would be tremendous, then configuring and maintaining those firewalls would be overkill. For a "real" network you will want a "real" firewall, something like Checkpoint FW-1 or TNG, something that allows stateful packet inspection, rules that can be set at a MAC/IP/protocol level which you can't do with things like Zone Alarm or the built in firewalls that come with home DSL/Cable routers. Also, in a corporate environment there will almost always be more than one firewall on a network (especially if you have a DMZ set up).

    All firewalls are going to be software one way or another... unless you are flipping dip switches somewhere to reflect what rules are in effect then you are going to be using a software interface of some sorts to add those rules. Checkpoint offers stuff like firewall appliances which is hardware you buy from them that runs FW-1, or you can put FW-1 on a stand alone machine or even get a plug in for some of the better switches out there like Nokia (BIG-IP, TETRA)...


    I have a meeting I have to go to right now, but I'll come back in a bit and finish off my thoughts on this post

    Give a man a match and he will be warm for a while, light him on fire and he will be warm for the rest of his life.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •