Author: Peter Skinner
Date: 20:09:49 05/20/04
Go up one level in this thread
On May 20, 2004 at 17:33:49, Peter Berger wrote: >On May 20, 2004 at 17:27:13, Peter Skinner wrote: > >>I have all the latest patches installed, and have a script that runs with the >>firewall that randomly opens and closes ports so kill off unwanted connections. >> > >I don't understand the logic of this security script. Either you don't want a >connection, then you keep the ports closed ( and stealth), or you need a port, >then randomly opening and closing it sounds like a bad idea to me. > >Even assuming you are talking about router ports here I still fail to understand >the benefit. > >Sorry for off-topic post, just too curious. Well the way it is supposed to work is this: 1. Normal people use just a software firewall on their computers, and for 90% of the people that is just fine. 2. Now that home networks are becoming very popular, and routers are becoming very popular, most people are ditching the software firewalls in leui of a hardware firewall in the router. This is 99% due to lack of knowledge, and poor salesmanship at the retailers. 3. As spyware grows, and masks itself in so many ways, the people not using the software firewall do not know anything about what is happening on their OUTGOING traffic. The router will let everything out, just nothing in. So the little script I got from the Smoothwall forums, opens and closes ports at random, except for the most basic being 25,110,80. All the rest are opened and closed internally, unless you specify which ones you need open on the router for applications like an FTP server. The script does everything inside the firewall, so a user wouldn't need a software firewall. This would essentially stop unwanted connections leaving your computer by non-standard ports. Since I do run a software firewall and a hardware one, it could be viewed that I am using to much security, and I think it is just being safer than most. 90% of spyware and trojans use non-standard ports now. Almost nothing broadcasts on ports 21,25,80,110. It is just the evolution of them. Peter
This page took 0 seconds to execute
Last modified: Thu, 15 Apr 21 08:11:13 -0700
Current Computer Chess Club Forums at Talkchess. This site by Sean Mintz.