Re: Clueless newbie to firewalls (sygate) seeks info

From: Mike (honey_at_michaelmoyse.co.uk)
Date: 04/28/05 

Date: Thu, 28 Apr 2005 18:38:55 +0100

DevilsPGD wrote:
> In message <cu6ce.13066$dh.9573@tornado.ohiordc.rr.com> Leythos
> <void@nowhere.lan> wrote:
>
>
>>On Thu, 28 Apr 2005 06:08:25 -0600, DevilsPGD wrote:
>>
>>>In message <uvednfQfKLSHW-3fRVnyhQ@pipex.net> Mike
>>><honey@michaelmoyse.co.uk> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>FYIS.org/estore wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>Seeking reference material (URL) that might help to explain incoming
>>>>>hits like the one below.
>>>>>What is all this stuff being sent to me?
>>>>
>>>>Another prime example of why software firewalls are useless
>>>
>>>How would a hardware firewall have done any better?
>>
>>Because a hardware firewall would block it before it even reaches the
>>internal network, which eliminates any configuration errors that a user
>>might make in their Personal Firewall Application - this would apply for
>>those NAT Routers too (which are NOT firewalls).
>
>
> Yes, and doing so still wouldn't allow the DHCP renew (if that is what
> is being blocked) to complete successfully.
>
> While I agree about hardware vs software firewalls, this is not a prime
> example. At most this is an example of how poorly written most software

How would you explain such deeply technical information to a completly
clueless and disinterested user?

> firewalls are, and how difficult to use most hardware firewalls are
> (meaning that an end user doesn't interact with them directly, or when
> they do, the end user doesn't try to understand)
>
>

Bottom line is userland is the wrong place for a firewall.

Generally speaking a hardware firewall would either (a) be installed by
someone who has a clue or (b) have a default configuration that makes
some sort of sense.

This is what a software firewall looks like to average Joe user:-

WARNING! A doodle flanger has grapoppled!

Do you want me to jangerfap the doodle flanger, discombooble the
grapoppler or nurdle the keekwop?

Of course if the user makes one choice, something will stop working, if
they make another, they may expose their machine.

A hardware firewall on the other hand does this:-

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