Given the ongoing discussion re virus software: in our home, we have three Macs on an Aiport network that connects to the internet via an Airport Extreme Base Station. My understanding is that the Base Station provides some level of security, inasmuch as it 'masks' our Macs behind its IP address.
The NAT Routing/filtering functions as a primative firewall. It protects your client computers from most basic probing and denial of service attacks. (although the router itself could be flooded/DDoSed).
Am I correct in assuming that in these circumstances we are fairly secure from direct attack,
Yes. But the router is providing an inbound firewall only. If you intentionally open a path to a malicious target...
and that the main route from which a virus/malicious attack could come is as an email attachment or Word Macro?
or in something you download or as a java applet or a javascript or as an ActiveX applet...
And that hence, given that we never open any attachment unless we know that the person sending it, was supposed to do so, we should be fairly secure?
That's the theory. +/- security holes in browsers etc.
of course we have File Sharing on all the time, because of the home network. I turned off Guest Access by using a little program called XGuest.
Unless you've intentionally opened ports in your NAT Router for the file sharing services, the outside world can't even see they're there. IOW, they're limited to your local LAN.
- Dan.
-- G-Books is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and...
Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | -- Check our web site for refurbished PowerBooks | & CDRWs on Sale! |
Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html>
G-Books list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-books.html> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/g-books%40mail.maclaunch.com/>
---------------------------------------------------------------
The Think Different Store
http://www.ThinkDifferentStore.com ---------------------------------------------------------------
