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Re: How insecure are cable connections, versus dialup?



On Sat, Dec 07, 2002 at 03:04:25PM -0500, Chip Rose wrote:
> I'm thinking of getting a Cox cable connection/modem, and was wondering
> how hard it is to make the static IP address secure.  I don't have a lot
> of knowledge in this area.  What is needed?  A cable modem that I could
> lease or buy on Ebay, and a network interface card, and turn off all
> unneeded services - how easy would it be for someone to hack me, and what
> all could they generally accomplish?  Is getting a cable connection a
> no-no for someone of my limited knowledge level?

While a cable connection might be a more attractive target to crackers
than a dialup connection, breaking in on a cable-connected machine is
not easier than breaking in on a dialup machine. 
What I would do (I don't since I have a dedicated firewall machine) is :
- close all unneeded services
- install a firewall that just drops any incoming connection from your
  cable-connected ethernet interface. (I would recommend using fwbuilder
  to build the firewall script. I have used it on my small home
  firewall, the firewall at work, and at several customer sites,
  including one with 6 subnets. I think it should also work well on a
  standalone PC, although it might be overkill)

Frank

> Thank,
> 
> Chip
> 
> 
> 
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