Re: Linksys WRT54G and Firewall software

Leythos wrote:
On Mon, 26 Mar 2007 12:03:08 +0900, Gerald Vogt wrote:

Leythos wrote:
On Mon, 26 Mar 2007 11:51:45 +0900, Gerald Vogt wrote:
I also know that NAT as concept is bound to have troubles at times
Um, you shoot yourself in the foot - if a simple NAT router, with a
limited amount of code, has "troubles" then a complex amount of code like
the Windows XP SP2 firewall would be subject to "troubles" too.
He? The NAT router runs a packet filter, NAT, and much more in a package. The XP SP2 is only a packet filter. No NAT. No flaky "access restrictions". No port forwarding.

If my computer, running the OS and apps was limited to XP SP2 Firewall you
might have a point, but, you can't run the XP SP2 firewall without XP.

Yes. And? What is your point? Running an application like MS Word on the
computer will severely affect the function of the firewall? Run
PowerPoint and the firewall dies and exposes the whole interface?

The NAT router does not run a zillion line OS, does not run zillions of
lines of code in applications....

And running some crappy code on a crappy cheap router with crappy
hardware is so much more reliable? I haven't seen a standard consumer
router where the firmware is not full of bugs (which affect the actual
normal operation) and where occasionally having a whole hardware series
with a fairly high return due to hardware issues. There is a reason why
a Cisco or 3com SOHO router costs 10 or 20 times as much as a Netgear,
Linksys, or D-Link. Only a part of that is due to mass production.

I would not want to bet on whether it is so much more likely the XP SP2
FW will be affected from load on a computer than some cheap router.

Also: suppose there is new vulnerability in the MS TCP/IP stack or FW
which allows elevated code execution. You can expect to have that fixed
quickly. The stack is one of the core components of communication.
Suppose a vulnerability is found in Linux TCP/IP stack. The fix will be
available very quickly, too, but how long will it take until the Linux
based routers have new firmware available and are updated?

Gerald


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Relevant Pages

  • Re: Linksys WRT54G and Firewall software
    ... limited amount of code, has "troubles" then a complex amount of code like ... the Windows XP SP2 firewall would be subject to "troubles" too. ... The NAT router runs a packet filter, NAT, and much more in a package. ...
    (comp.security.firewalls)
  • Re: Linksys WRT54G and Firewall software
    ... I also know that NAT as concept is bound to have ... limited amount of code, has "troubles" then a complex amount of code like ... the Windows XP SP2 firewall would be subject to "troubles" too. ...
    (comp.security.firewalls)
  • Re: Linksys WRT54G and Firewall software
    ... Um, you shoot yourself in the foot - if a simple NAT router, with a ... limited amount of code, has "troubles" then a complex amount of code like ... running the OS and apps was limited to XP SP2 Firewall you ...
    (comp.security.firewalls)
  • Re: Troubleshooting unavailable website
    ... Sounds to me like you just need to add an exception in the XP SP2 firewall ... The> router forwards the http request to port 80 of the xp machine. ... > There is a 2nd machine with an identical setup, except that it is a w2k> machine and that the router forwards to port 8081 for its Virtual Server. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.network_web)
  • Re: Troubleshooting unavailable website
    ... Sounds to me like you just need to add an exception in the XP SP2 firewall ... The> router forwards the http request to port 80 of the xp machine. ... > There is a 2nd machine with an identical setup, except that it is a w2k> machine and that the router forwards to port 8081 for its Virtual Server. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)