Re: FW: BlackIce Defender???

["R. DuFresne" <dufresne () sysinfo com>]

On Tue, 26 Oct 1999, Rick Smith wrote:

> At 02:27 PM 10/26/99 -0500, R. DuFresne wrote:
> > I musty be really confused, backofficer is a firewall?  I thought it was
> > merely a port listener, comprable to netcat or nukenabber, but hardly a
> > fully functional firewall utility of any sort...
>
> Point taken. I think there's something really smart about combining a port
> listener with a personal firewall. Maybe it's too geeky for the masses, but
> I like the notion of combining the otherwise silent protection of port
> blocking with the feedback of a port listener. If Black Ice did the right
> thing with the GUI, it may well be a winner.

I find that logging via the filter rules and not coaxing folks to poke
about ports with listeners to be much sweeter.  

Putting a listener up to 'invite' prods at the 'service' seems more akin
to laying a half can of tuna in the sun and sitting with a fly swatter
whacking away all day long...

> What kinds of experiences have people had with "personal firewalls?"
> Personally I've generally either lived behind a hairy chested corporate
> 'wall or I've done without at home.

What *was* souldn't have alot of bearing on what *now is*.  If it really
did, then perhaps the soviet union would still be the bastion of cummunist
supremacy it once 'was'.  

It doesn't take long before a person get a hint that they have to wonder
about how to protect themselves these days.  Both in their sexual
adventures and out here in cyberspace.  Everyone advises their friends now
to at least think virus protection, yes?  It's on the lips of all the
sales folks at best buy and compusa now, and it's interesting to note how
many of those 'savvy' techies in the sales force now ramble on as yer
choosing peripherals to go with the 1,000mhz box yer toting in a shopping
cart yoyu hear the jabbering of firewalls and filters and port listeners.
The topic is starting to reach folks, more and more, as a person gets
compromised and their friends tell the horror stories of their 'recovery'.
I'm just wondering how long before the mainstream buck in this fields is
made at the home and small offices rather then at the corporate ends.

Thanks,

Ron DuFresne
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