Re: 56k dial up on laptop 802.11G ?

Duane Arnold <Notme@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>Floyd L. Davidson wrote:
>> The Linksys WRT54G series of wireless routers all have firewall
>> software.
>>
>
>No NAT router is running FW software in the traditional sense. The
>manufactures of the product can hype it all they want as being a solution
>that's running FW software.

Lots of words, but what do you mean? What, for example, is "the
traditional sense"? I'm really hard pressed to see how the
Linux firewall is not a firewall...

>I suggest that you drop a line at comp.security.firewalls about a WRT54G or
>any other NAT (no FW) router being used in the home to people that make a
>living at it about this.

Well, I *did* got read comp.security.firewalls and searched with
google for articles about the WRT54G. I've seen a *lot* of
recommendations that say the WRT54G is a fine firewall...

>If the WRT54G can meet all the specs below, then it's an appliance running
>FW software. If the WRT54G cannot meet the specs, then it's not an
>appliance that's running FW software.

So tell us just what "spec" below is not fully met by the
standard Linux firewall in a WRT54G? And, please explain what
difference it makes whether it is an "appliance" or not?

>I know that the low-end Watchguard
>Firebox III SOHO 6 firewall appliance that I use meets those specs. I know
>that the 54G or anyother Linksys NAT router or any NAT router for home
>usage period is not running FW software.

Why do you say that? I found one message where *you* provide a
URL, which says the WRT's firewall is "an advanced form of
firewall". I seem to recall where *you* had good things to say
about the firewall in Suse Linux.

You do realize that the WRT54G runs Linux and has the same
firewall built into the kernel as any other Linux, right? Do
you have a WRT54G, and/or know what is in it?

>The NAT routers are good enough in
>the protection as long as one is not doing high risk things like port
>forwarding.

Please explain what you mean. And be specific about how it
applies to a Linux router.

><snip>
>
>What does a firewall do?
>
>A firewall examines all traffic routed between the two networks to see if it
>meets certain criteria. If it does, it is routed between the networks,
>otherwise it is stopped. A firewall filters both inbound and outbound
>traffic. It can also manage public access to private networked resources
>such as host applications. It can be used to log all attempts to enter the
>private network and trigger alarms when hostile or unauthorized entry is
>attempted. Firewalls can filter packets based on their source and
>destination addresses and port numbers. This is known as address filtering.
>Firewalls can also filter specific types of network traffic. This is also
>known as protocol filtering because the decision to forward or reject
>traffic is dependant upon the protocol used, for example HTTP, ftp or
>telnet. Firewalls can also filter traffic by packet attribute or state.
>
><snip>

So what part of that is not being done in the WRT54G firewall?

I am certainly no expert on firewalls, but I just don't see a
thing in that list which the WRT54G doesn't do.

--
Floyd L. Davidson <http://web.newsguy.com/floyd_davidson>
Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska) floyd@xxxxxxxxxx
.

Relevant Pages

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