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Can you guys give me a security rating for a network I want to build at home? I need to convince my dad that it will be secure becuase his box has work things on it, and he is not willing to let me compromise his system. So here it is.
Linksys firewalled 4-port router.
3 Windows XP Pro. service pack 2.
no file-sharing software.
1Box w/ Norton antivirus.
Do I really need norton on all three boxes to minimalize virus threats?
That would all depend on your family's surfing/email habits.... So since you asked the question... Yes, you need AV on every machine.... OTOH, you don't need to be paying for norton...Quote:
Do I really need norton on all three boxes to minimalize virus threats?
AntiVir
Avast
Are good FREE AV's and there are others.
The firewall you have will keep the average rubbish out and make sure you enable the automatic updates.....
Other than that either switch your browser to Firefox or get yourself Ad-Aware and run it every week or so on every machine.
It's absolutely sufficient if you are not a "wild web surfer", and it's still a pretty good regime if you are....
Hi,
not to sound pessimistic, but there are a lot of variables to take into account in setting up secure networks. Yes, the software you mentionned is a great start, but what is the most important aspect, IMHO, is to know how to set them up properly and to know how to diagnose/interpret the information given by these tools.
For instance, you have to know how to interpret the 'threat' messages given by a firewall: some warnings may simply be generated by your online activity while other warnings that may appear somewhat trivial may be signs of an attack.
Furthermore, the firewall router that you mentionned will not do much unless, as expected, it is correctly configured. You may want to enable MAC filtering within the router. Furthermore, blocking ports that are not used by your programs (or your dad's, in this case) within router may be a wise decision.
Another pointer would be to check which services are running on your computer: some services are asking simply 'asking' to get used and abused by hackers so it may be wise to go over them with your father to determine what is needed and what is superfluous. This can be done by going Start->Run->msconfig->services.
There are many, many more things such as logging,password complexity of your accounts, etc, etc, that I believe you should check before declaring your network 'secure' (btw, there is no such thing as a 100% secure network: you should be honest with your dad and tell him that).
You may want to check the following resources for additional help:
http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/index.html (NIST publications)
http://www.nsa.gov/snac/ (NSA).
all the best,
banshee
Hey thx for the links Tiger Shark. and yes i run updated Ad-Aware SE habitually.
I haven't installed the router software or began using it yet, but when I do I'll be sure to go through all the options it gives me, and configure it to our satisfaction. Thanks for the suggestions and links.
P.S. - Props to antionline. Best help on the web.