Re: DSL Firewall Question (was List turnaround speed)

[Sean Porterfield <sporter@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Fri, 12 Jan 2001 MacWheel99@aol.com wrote:

> The need for a firewall for me is related to method of connecting to the 
> internet & the quality of the ISP in a number of areas (AOL is very bad in 
> some areas & pretty good in others) & risks associated with some places we go 
> on the internet.
> 
> With me still on AOL, the likelihood of some hacker getting to my home PC 
> that way is rather remote,

I doubt the AOL network is any more secure than any other network.  Having
a dynamic IP address is no more secure than static.  Someone else had that
address before you, and someone will have it after.  Once an attacker
knows about that AOL netblock, they can try to get into any/all addresses
until they find something open.

I used a firewall when I was on dialup to Earthlink (of course, part of
the reason is I wanted to be able to go to any computer without having to
dial from there...)

> Home PC Security with DSL/NIC:
> I need to find some way of turning off the high speed internet connection 
> when I am using my PC for something other than internet connection & I not 
> yet know if that is doable for the system that I will be getting;
> I will need to have a firewall, when in fact I did not need one for dial up 
> AOL;
> there are various tips I need to understand ... what does this do for me & 
> what are the pros & cons of 
> unplug physical connection
> turn off file and print sharing options

Physical disconnection is of course the only truly 100% reliable
disconnect method.  If you are using a Microsoft OS, you probably should
not have file and print sharing enabled if connected directly to the
Internet.

Most broadband connections like DSL or cable use dynamic addresses.  If
connected directly from Windows, you should be able to run WINIPCFG and
release your IP address.  Then just renew when you want to get back on.

** Physical disconnection can be rough on Windows.  Some versions refuse
to operate until rebooted after a disconnect of the network.

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