Subj : For Trouble re Home Network Security
To   : alt.tv.farscape
From : TNW7Z7Z7Z12345
Date : Wed Sep 07 2005 03:27:04

From Newsgroup: alt.tv.farscape

Cut/altered a little from my original post --

My router is the Airport Extreme Base Station.  I have the wireless
network closed, encrypted (only WEP though, not WPA) plus have the OSX
software firewall on in my laptop.  So I assume my laptop is relatively
safe.

However, I also have an older Mac desktop (OS9 so no software firewall)
connected to the router via ethernet cable.  That's the one I wonder
about.

The router configuration options mostly seem to be for the wireless
network.  The only settings that I guess cover both the wireless
network and the ethernet connection to the desktop are "WAN privacy"
settings. (although I'm not sure about that). Out of paranoia, I shut
off SNMP access, remote configuration, and default host, although I
haven't a clue what they are.  The only thing I'm allowing is remote
printer access, as there seems to be a glitch with wireless printing
when that is off.

If I go to the Symantec website and do one of those free security
probes, they tell me (and I have no idea what any of this means) that
ICMP ping is open, all other ports are closed, but that the only port
that is actually stealth or hidden is HTTP Port 80.

I assume the scan is reading the router, not my computer, so that's the
router firewall that is all closed up.  But I had hoped that my WAN
settings would make the router "stealth" or hidden, which obviously
they don't.

Would you consider my setup safe?  I don't worry too much as nothing
out there targets Macs, but I wonder about it when I turn on
filesharing.

What I would give for an old fashioned manual that attempted to explain
this to a lay person...


- TNW

[To e-mail me, remove 12345 from my address.]

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