Absolute Beginner's Guide to Personal Firewalls (Absolute Beginner's Guide)

265 Pages·2001·6.03 MB·English

by  Jerry Lee Ford Jr.

Personal
Firewalls
201 West 103rd Street,
Indianapolis, Indiana 46290
Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Personal Associate Publisher
Firewalls Greg Wiegand
Copyright  2002 by Que Publishing
Acquisitions Editor
All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced, stored in a Sharry Lee Gregory
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tocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the Development
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information contained herein. Although every precaution has been taken Howard Jones
in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no
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responsibility for errors or omissions. Nor is any liability assumed for dam-
ages resulting from the use of the information contained herein. Thomas F. Hayes
International Standard Book Number: 0-7897-2625-4
Project Editor
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 20-01090292 Tricia S. Liebig
Printed in the United States of America
Copy Editor
First Printing: October 2001 Kezia Endsley
04 03 02 01 4 3 2 1
Indexer
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accuracy of this information. Use of a term in this book should not be
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Interior Designer
Warning and Disclaimer
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Every effort has been made to make this book as complete and as accu-
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vided is on an “as is” basis. The author and the publisher shall have
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Page Layout
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Michelle Mitchell
Contents at a Glance
Part I Introducing Personal
Firewalls, 5
1 Why Do You Need a Personal
Firewall?, 7
2 High-Speed Internet
Connections Equal Increased
Vulnerability, 23
3 Firewalls Explained, 41
Part II Tightening Your Security, 59
4 Locking Down Windows
Networking, 61
5 Hardware Firewalls, 81
6 McAfee Personal Firewall, 99
7 BlackICE Defender, 125
8 ZoneAlarm, 151
9 How Secure Is Your
Computer?,177
10 Habits of Security-Conscious
Surfers, 189
11 Home Networks and Internet
Connection Sharing, 203
A Other Firewall Products, 223
B Other Web Sites That Will Test
Your Security, 231
Glossary, 239
Table of Contents
Introduction 1 NIC Installation 34
Installing the Software Driver 35
I Introducing Personal Firewalls 5 Network Configuration 36
Installing Your High-Speed Modem 37
1 Why Do You Need a Personal
Firewall? 7 3 Firewalls Explained 41
The New Age of High-Speed Internet Understanding Personal Firewalls 42
Access 8 What to Look for in a Personal
Traditional 56Kbps Internet Access 8 Firewall 42
The New Era in High-Speed Internet Hardware Firewalls 43
Access 9 Software Firewalls 46
Typical Software Firewall
Protecting Yourself with a Personal
Requirements 48
Firewall 11
Networking Overview 48
The Typical Internet Connection 12
Understanding How Data Is Sent Between
Who Are Hackers Anyway? 15 Network Computers 49
The Hacker Community 16 Understanding How Computers
Where Do They Get Their Toys? 19 Communicate 50
How ISPs Use MAC Addresses 50
What Do They Want from You? 21 More About TCP/IP 51
TCP/IP Ports 52
2 High-Speed Internet Connections Equal
Increased Vulnerability 23 Understanding How Firewalls Operate 53
Selecting a High-Speed Connection: Cable Firewall Functions 54
Versus DSL 24 Intrusion Detection 54
High-Speed Cable Internet Access 24 Detecting Attempts to Scan Your
High-Speed DSL Internet Access 26 Computer 55
Guarding Against Trojan Horses 56
Cable and DSL Modems 27 Examining All Network Traffic 57
Features 28
Firewall Classifications 57
Setting Up Your Cable or DSL Application-Gateway Firewalls 58
Connection 30
Packet-Filtering Firewalls 58
Circuit-Level Firewalls 58
Pre-Installation Tasks 31
Stateful Inspection 58
Updating Your Operating System 31
Speeding Up Your Internet Access 31
vi ABSOLUTE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO PERSONAL FIREWALLS
II Tightening Your Security 59 Using the Linksys BEFSR41 EtherFast
Cable/DSL Router As a Personal Firewall 96
4 Locking Down Windows Networking 61
Other Cable/DSL Routers 97
An Overview of Microsoft Networking 62
Introducing Microsoft Networking 62 6 McAfee Personal Firewall 99
Understanding How Microsoft Networking
Overview of McAfee 100
Is Implemented 63
Trusting Microsoft Networks 64
System Requirements 101
Closing Down Your NetBIOS Ports 68
Protecting Printers and Disk Drives from Installation and Setup 102
Internet Intruders 69
Working with the Configuration
Configuring Communications for Home
Wizard 104
Networks 70
Normal Operation 108
Improving Your Security 74
Saving Configuration Changes 110
Implementing Usernames and
Securing Configuration Changes 110
Passwords 75
Managing the McAfee Personal Firewall’s
NTFS Security 75
Log File 111
Encrypting Your Files 77
Starting the Firewall at System Boot 111
Closing the McAfee Personal
Why You Should Still Get a Personal
Firewall 79 Firewall 111
Configuring Application Settings 111
5 Hardware Firewalls 81 System Settings 112
Fragmented Packets 117
Hardware Firewalls 82
Minimize to SysTray 117
Start in SysTray 117
The BEFSR41 EtherFast Cable/DSL
Help 118
Router 83
Block Everything 118
Installing the Hardware Firewall 84 Filter Traffic 118
Allow Everything 119
Configuration via the Web Browser 87
Reporting Summary Application
Establishing Basic Configuration
Information 119
Settings 87
Reporting Detailed Application
Changing Your Password 89
Information 119
Checking the Status of Your Router 89
Configuring Your DHCP Service 90 Working with Report Logs 119
Setting Your Router/Firewall Logs 91
Limitations 123
Finding Help 93
Testing the McAfee Personal Firewall 124
Other Cable/DSL Router Functions 94
CONTENTS vii
7 BlackICE Defender 125 Working with ZoneAlarm 158
Managing Internet Alerts and Firewall
Overview 126
Logging 160
Working with Internet Lock Settings 161
System Requirements 128
Configuring Security Settings 162
Installation and Setup 129 Managing Your Internet
Applications 164
Configuring BlackICE Defender 130
Basic ZoneAlarm Configuration 166
Protection Settings 131
Log Settings 132 Working with the ZoneAlarm Desk Band
Evidence Log Settings 133 Toolbar 167
Gathering Information About Your
ZoneAlarm’s Alerts and Log File 168
Attacker 134
Working with ZoneAlarm’s Log File 168
Managing Specific IP Addresses 135
The ICEcap Property Sheet 137
Working with ZoneAlarm Alerts 170
Establishing Interface and Alert
Program Alerts 171
Settings 137
Firewall Alerts 173
Keeping BlackICE Defender’s Defenses Up to
ZoneAlarm’s Limitations 174
Date 138
Automatically Updating Your Personal Testing Your Zone Labs Personal
Firewall 138 Firewall 174
Manually Updating Your Personal
Firewall 140 9 How Secure Is Your Computer? 177
Normal Operation 141 Testing Your Vulnerability to Internet
Hackers 178
Working with Report Logs 141
Performing a Free Security Scan 178
Advanced Firewall Settings 147
Port Probing 182
Stop BlackICE Engine 149
WWW Network ICE 149
Testing with Your Personal Firewall Up and
Exit 149
Running 183
Rerunning the Internet Scan 184
BlackICE Defender’s Limitations 149
Probing Your Ports a Second Time 184
Testing the BlackICE Defender Personal
Testing Security from the Inside Out 185
Firewall 150
A Final Analysis 188
8 ZoneAlarm 151
10 Habits of Security-Conscious Surfers 189
Overview 152
Updating Your Personal Firewall 190
System Requirements 153
Updating McAfee Personal Firewall 190
Installation and Setup 153 Updating BlackICE Defender 190
Updating ZoneAlarm 191
Getting Started with ZoneAlarm 157
viii ABSOLUTE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO PERSONAL FIREWALLS
Keeping Your Microsoft Operating System A Other Firewall Products 223
Up-to-Date 191
Aladdin Knowledge Systems eSafe
Keeping Your Operating System Locked Desktop 3.0 224
Down Tight 194
Norton Personal Firewall 2001 225
Using Antivirus Software 195
PGP Desktop Security 7.0 226
Fighting Viruses 196
Defeating Trojan Horses 198
Symantec Desktop Firewall 2.0 227
Don’t Become a Zombie—Help
Prevent Distributed Denial-of-Service Sygate Personal Firewall 227
Attacks 199
ConSeal PC Firewall 228
Beware Cookies 199
Tiny Personal Firewall 229
Backing Up Your Data 201
B Other Web Sites That Will Test Your
Be Vigilant and Test Often 201
Security 231
11 Home Networks and Internet HackerWhacker 232
Connection Sharing 203
Gibson Research Corporation 233
What Is a Home Network? 204
Secure Design 233
Putting Your Network Together 205
Sygate Online Services 234
Network Software Configuration 205
Symantec 235
Network Administration 207
McAfee 236
Setting Up Workgroup and Computer
Names 207
HackYourself.com 236
Sharing Network Resources 209
Glossary 239
Connecting Your Home Network to the
Internet 213
Index 247
Tightening Things Up with a Second Line
of Firewalls 218
Microsoft’s Internet Connection
Sharing 220
Securing Home Networks with
NetBEUI 222
About the Author
Jerry Lee Ford, Jr. is an author, instructor, and a security analyst with over 13
years of experience in the information technology field. He holds a Masters in
Business Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond,
Virginia and has over five years of teaching experience in information technology.
Jerry is a Microsoft-certified Systems Engineer and has authored six other books,
including Practical Microsoft Windows Peer Networking. He lives in Richmond, Virginia
with his wife, Mary, and their sons, Alexander and William.
Dedication
To Mary, Alexander, and William.
Acknowledgments
This book is the result of the combined efforts of a number of individuals. I wish to
thank Howard Jones for his work as the book’s development editor, Johannes Ullrich
for providing his services as technical editor, and Sharry Gregory, the book’s acquisi-
tion editor. I also wish to thank everyone else at Que for working so hard to help
make this book a reality. Finally, I want to thank my wife, Mary, for carrying more
of the workload at home so that I could find the time to write this book.