Re: Is Guarddog still the easiest and best firewall GUI program for Linux?

From	notbob <notbob@nothome.com>
Newsgroups	comp.os.linux.x, comp.os.linux.networking, comp.os.linux.security, comp.os.linux.setup
Subject	Re: Is Guarddog still the easiest and best firewall GUI program for Linux?
Date	2011-12-03 18:57 +0000
Message-ID	<slrnjdks8d.2ht.notbob@nbleet.hcc.net> (permalink)
References	<ePCdnRb0o4ZUokTTnZ2dnUVZ_qSdnZ2d@earthlink.com> <jbcsi6$g67$5@usenet.pasdenom.info> <T6SdnfKc-8ouy0fTnZ2dnUVZ_ridnZ2d@earthlink.com>

Cross-posted to 4 groups.

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On 2011-12-03, Ant <ant@zimage.comANT> wrote:

> I have two questions since I didn't see the answers when quick glancing 
> its documentations and screen shots: Does it prompt to allow/deny and 
> customize in real-time when programs use the network? And does this 
> program use iptables like Guarddog?

I understand yer dilemma, having once been a Windows user, myself.
Then, I used Signal9, which later was sold to and hosed by McAffee
under the name Conseal.  It did as you ask, prompted you each time a
new connection w/o a corresponding rule, was made, either in or out,
and asked what you wanted to do.

"Do you want to pee-pee"?

"Yes"

"Do you have to unzip yer pants?"

"Yes"    

Those days are over, Ant!  

If you now use linux, time to acquire a new mindset.  Linux assumes
you understand what yer doing and operates accordingly, not be a
clueless newbie that needs yer hand held, each action requiring a
question and answer babysitting session from the OS.  You need to
consider what you want and/or need, then configure the iptables
firewall accordingly.

The best security policy is, block ALL, allowing only what you need.
Iptables allows "stateful inspection".  These are rules which allow
any outgoing traffic initiated by you, but only incoming traffic that
is in direct response to the outgoing traffic you jes sent.  Since
linux, by its nature, has no applications phoning home or trying to
contact the creator behind yer back ....at least by default.... then
that shouldn't be a worry.  Granted, a few applications like firefox
are set up to phone home for updates, but I've yet to see one of these
auto-update apps for linux do this without first asking and/or
allowing you to disable this option.  They may be out there, but I've
not run across one, yet.

So, if you browse google on yer browser, or send an IM message, you
should be safe with any block all, statefull inspection, linux
iptables packet filter (firewall) configuration.  If you want to do
bittorrents and share bits, or allow SSH access, or run an apache web
server, yer gonna hafta open up yer firewall and understand how it
works.

Understand there are no firewall applications, only configuration
applications for the linux kernal iptables packet filter.  They all do
the same thing, which is write the appropriate rules for iptables.
You should learn about iptables and how it works and tcp/ip
fundamentals and the various network protocols.  Lotta good info pages
out there on both subjects.

IMO, understanding tcp/ip protocols is the best place to start.
Here's a pretty good one:

http://www.w3schools.com/tcpip/tcpip_intro.asp

Once you learn the protocols, then learn how/why iptables filters
them.

Good luck!  ;)

nb

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