The Loopy old man has another question!

[cousinlucky]

One of my friends just got their computer back from the shop after a hard drive reformat, but I can not convince her to install and use Linux. Although I am still a computer illiterate; I informed her that if she was intent on still using windows that I had better luck using a Kerio firewall and AVG anti-virus instead of the windows firewall and Norton anti-virus.

What I really liked about the version of the Kerio firewall that I used was that, after configuration, it would not let anything go out from my computer without my permission. The Kerio firewall could not prevent my computer from being scanned, but it would keep a log of the scanning and the Internet address of the scanner.

I say all of the above to ask my loony question. Does such a software program exist in Linux that blocks the " phone home " features of rogue programs downloaded into individual computers such as the keystoke reporting software??

[fingal]

Hi Coz ... loopy you ain't.

It's unlikely that the spyware would ever find its way onto your hard drive to start with. As long as you take basic precautions (firewalls etc.) then you're well protected, and most spyware is aimed at Windows.

That doesn't mean that even desktop users can throw caution to the wind, and peoples' setups will tend to vary a lot. I use a router/modem to connect to the Net. It has a firewall built in which I've enabled. My distro ships with Shorewall, which I also have enabled ... If anything tries to scan my machine, it does nothing. It should be invisible to any outside agency.

If your friend insists on using Windows, she should have a firewall (even if it's the one built into Windows) and anti-virus software as an absolute minimum. If not then she'll be compromised within a few hours of connecting to the net.

If your friend doesn't believe that, get her to read this.

My own approach - assuming someone forced me to use Windows at home while holding an anti-tank missile to my head - would be to buy an old PC and install Smoothwall on it. I would connect that to the Net, and attach my Windows box to it. That way the old PC acts as a Linux firewall, and you can still run Windows without having to learn much about Linux. I've never tried that though.

[Zoneseek]

To view internet activity in linux through a gui app, you can use firestarter. You can also deny outgoing connections that way. Though this is typically not necessary on a given linux desktop.

[Roxoff]

My own approach - assuming someone forced me to use Windows at home while holding an anti-tank missile to my head - would be to buy an old PC and install Smoothwall on it. I would connect that to the Net, and attach my Windows box to it. That way the old PC acts as a Linux firewall, and you can still run Windows without having to learn much about Linux. I've never tried that though.

I've tried that - indeed this is exactly how my LAN is configured, t'internet->router->smoothwall->switch->computers.

Smoothwall rocks, but there are alternatives. These 'firewall' distros dont move forward very quickly, they only seem to get security updates, and thats a very good thing. Once you're secure, it's done. Smoothwall wont prevent outgoing connections, btw.

[cousinlucky]

Thanks Fingal!! I printed up the BBC news article and mailed it to her. Like so many other people ( myself included ) she is going to have to get whupped enough to give up using Windows on the Internet. She paid for windows ( I never did ) so she therefore feels locked into using it. " Dual Booting " is unknown and terrifying to her and, unfortunately, to a lot of other people.

I still use a dial-up ISP but I get told of the advantages of cable all of the time. Unfortunately the one cable company available on Staten Island is an expensive criminal enterprise that I do not have any intention of giving any money to.

Kerio's Firewall was so good Microsoft bought the company and changed the software so that they could get through it. It was through Kerio's many alerts that I found out about all of the many various programs Microsoft and HP ( my computer maker ) had reporting back to them.