-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Bryan,
Funnily enough, I actually agree with most of what you are saying :-) What it really comes down to for me though is this. I use my computer as a home computer only. It is primarily a tool for me to communicate with the wider world and my friends, who for some unknown reason, all live on the other side of the World. I also use it as a learning tool and a toy I guess, in as much as it presents me with new things to try in order to challenge myself from time to time. Installing Mandrake was one of those challenges I set myself, and it has not disappointed me :-) Internet security is important to me, and I have my Windows system locked down as tightly as possible. I have a dial up connection, which is pretty much connected 24 hours a day. I use a respected AV and Kerio with a very stringently customised set of rules, I do not use any Microsoft software other than my operating system, plus I make use of several third party bits and pieces to help me keep my system locked down as tightly as possible. Having said that, I am not paranoid about this, and I do realise that my system is not, and never will be 100% secure. That doesnt bother me. I have taken all the precautions I can for my own particular computing situation, and that is enough for me. I have reduced the risk as much as I possibly can at this point. If I happen to get caught out by some nasty at some time, it will be bad luck, but it wont be due to something stupid I did. As you have already said Linux is an inherently more secure OS than Windows, and the risks are less, although not absent. I want to be able to feel secure using Linux but I don't the level of security someone in business might need. At the moment I dont *feel* secure because I dont understand how the firewall works, and I can't begin to configure it the way I want it, until such time as I can understand it! That's where I am at now. My previous posts about other firewalls available, were really indicating that I was perhaps looking for something I could *get* straight away, to use in the meantime, while I am busy trying to get my head around the built in firewall. As you said, if I don't have that configured properly while I'm learning it, I could be leaving myself wide open right now. I have no knowledge of what the current configuration is (other than what I've set up via Guarddog) - or even if there is a default configuration. I haven't even figured out what command I need to use to *see* the darned thing working! (or view the logs or view the current configuration) None of what I have posted here on the subject is intended in any way to be critical of you or of the linux firewall. I am just a newbie linux user who is trying to learn the basics of setting up her linux system as securely as she possibly can, so that she can get moving and start discovering what this OS has to offer her. I set myself a personal challenge here, and I'm not about to give up just yet. I'm sorry to say, you'll be seeing more of me here, at least until the light bulb in my head switches on! :-) - -- - Carren -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: PGP SDK 3.0.2 Comment: "" iQA/AwUBP902R8qIEIT739NzEQJdDQCfTgpCrdeLeCO2GpihZTOE8WGlQF0AnRgD Lo/PaIczbQmtlxrceYu5pgMu =Pjm5 -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
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