Hi All,

It is said that Linux users do not have to worry so much about Virusus than Windows users however is there a firewall or some kind of internet security I can use with Linux or more to the point Ubuntu 8.10.

Thanks

John

All GNU/Linux distros come with the Netfilter/iptables firewall system. People new to GNU/Linux will usually choose to use a front-end, though, in order to simplify things. Ubuntu comes with a front-end called UFW. There's other front-ends available too, some are command-line driven, while others GUI. Examples: Firestarter, Guarddog, Shorewall, etc.

You can use UFW (Uncomplicated Firewall). Bring up a terminal and type:

sudo ufw status

That will tell you whether or not UFW is enabled. If it isn't, type:

sudo ufw enable

That enables UFW with no further configuration required.

Another alternative is Firestarter, a graphical configuration tool that's very easy to use. Just go into Synaptic Package Manager, download and install Firestarter, and run the setup wizard. I think Firestarter's default configuration is more than sufficient, so once it is set up you should be good to go.

Regardless of which tool you choose, you can test your firewall at Shields Up: https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2

I don't think Firestarter is being maintained now. If you want a GUI, try GUFW.

Thanks for the heads-up.

Hi All,

Ok I enabled the UFW firewall via terminal, how do I configure it, say it is blocking a program or something like that.

Thanks again.

John

Type "man ufw" in the terminal (no quotes) and it will explain how you can configure it; this is actually called "writing rules" for the firewall. You will have to specify a port (53, 80, etc) and a protocol (TCP, UDP). The man page will lay out the format.

Keep in mind that the firewall will allow connections by default unless you told it not to. To make it deny by default, type "ufw default deny" BEFORE enabling the firewall. If you didn't do that, just disable it, set the default to deny, and then re-enable it.

And don't forget to use this: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Un...d_Firewall_ufw
Always keep the official documentation handy.

Thanks very much for all your help.

John

hi
this is my first post...
ummmm
....I am really getting started with ubuntu 8.10...
and I dont know anything about...ethernet or TCP, UDP, eth0, wlan0, DHCP and all that stuff....
(about that...someone knows where can I find a book or a guide or something??)
....what i got is....
...a wireless connection without password in my house
and a wireless connection at my school with password (...the next week i'll check that)....and i have downloaded firestarter from the synaptic package manager...
...but i think i am unable to configure it correctly...so.........
should I remove firestarter and ...follow the steps above for UFW?
......
thanks!