Linux - Security This forum is for all security related questions.
Questions, tips, system compromises, firewalls, etc. are all included here. |
Notices |
Welcome to LinuxQuestions.org, a friendly and active Linux Community.
You are currently viewing LQ as a guest. By joining our community you will have the ability to post topics, receive our newsletter, use the advanced search, subscribe to threads and access many other special features. Registration is quick, simple and absolutely free. Join our community today!
Note that registered members see fewer ads, and ContentLink is completely disabled once you log in.
Are you new to LinuxQuestions.org? Visit the following links:
Site Howto |
Site FAQ |
Sitemap |
Register Now
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us. If you need to reset your password, click here.
Having a problem logging in? Please visit this page to clear all LQ-related cookies.
Get a virtual cloud desktop with the Linux distro that you want in less than five minutes with Shells! With over 10 pre-installed distros to choose from, the worry-free installation life is here! Whether you are a digital nomad or just looking for flexibility, Shells can put your Linux machine on the device that you want to use.
Exclusive for LQ members, get up to 45% off per month. Click here for more info.
|
 |
06-05-2006, 02:28 PM
|
#1
|
Member
Registered: Feb 2006
Distribution: Slackware 13.1 / 13.37
Posts: 91
Rep:
|
would you trust a closed-source firmware on your DSL modem-router?
There is a question that is becomming more and more important since I begun with Linux: would you trust a DSL modem-router with a closed-source firmware?
Is a modem with close-source firmware something similar to closed-source software? Or a closed-source modem can be compensated with an open-source OS?
The modem with the open-source firmware is Linksys WAG354G or WAG54G/GS. The modem with the cloded-source firmware will probably be Zyxel Prestige 660HW/61.
The only reason that I am even considering Zyxel is because I am reading that it has much better performance.
Last edited by jsmith6; 06-05-2006 at 02:30 PM.
|
|
|
06-05-2006, 02:33 PM
|
#2
|
LQ Guru
Registered: Aug 2003
Distribution: CentOS, OS X
Posts: 5,131
Rep: 
|
Well..if so many people trust a Windows operating system, and pretty many of them don't even download too many security updates (because it takes time and gets you annoyed at the "Please reboot" -prompt), I'd say yes, I would trust a modem/router with closed-source software. Well if my neighbour told me he'd breached it just last night, maybe not, but hey - if you can't trust your router, can you trust your mom?
|
|
|
06-07-2006, 11:58 AM
|
#3
|
Member
Registered: Feb 2006
Distribution: Slackware 13.1 / 13.37
Posts: 91
Original Poster
Rep:
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by b0uncer
Well..if so many people trust a Windows operating system, and pretty many of them don't even download too many security updates (because it takes time and gets you annoyed at the "Please reboot" -prompt), I'd say yes, I would trust a modem/router with closed-source software.
|
Yes, a lot of people use Windows. So?
The point was not only security but sincerity.
Each time I search for something in my hard drive, the criteria and the results are sent back to Microsoft. It "phones home", how cute  I am sure there are more examples like this, and it one of the reasons I am moving to Linux.
Quote:
Originally Posted by b0uncer
if you can't trust your router, can you trust your mom?
|
You lost me. What is the relation of the trust that I show to my router with the one that I show to my mother?
|
|
|
06-07-2006, 12:17 PM
|
#4
|
Senior Member
Registered: Sep 2005
Location: Out
Posts: 3,307
Rep:
|
would you trust a closed-source firmware in your BIOS?
|
|
|
06-07-2006, 02:30 PM
|
#5
|
Member
Registered: Feb 2006
Distribution: Slackware 13.1 / 13.37
Posts: 91
Original Poster
Rep:
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by nx5000
would you trust a closed-source firmware in your BIOS?
|
No. But I don't have a choice there. Yet. Apart from that, does BIOS participate that actively in networking?
The possibility that this paranoia of mine may be outside the limits of practicality is been smoothed by the fact that an open-sourced firmware can lead to future improovements. So features and performance are not out of the game. This is what happened with WRT54G. The only point is "when?".
It's like those early days when proprietary OSs had better hardware response than Linux (only because it was too early for Linux, and hardware vendors haven't noticed Linux yet). The proprietary router has better performance but the other one is open-sourced.
A modem/router "phoning home" is an exaggeration? Ahh, maybe I will just use the "coin methode" to decide 
|
|
|
06-07-2006, 09:49 PM
|
#6
|
Member
Registered: May 2004
Posts: 552
Rep:
|
My 1.5 cents, I don't think it matters if you can trust the firmware in the dsl/cable modem or not. Trust stops at eth0 of your linux firewall. The modem is part of the internet as far as security is concerned.
I mean what is there to care about, dropping packets, sending copies to covert government agencies, what? Who cares what it does.
Data that matters is encrypted as it goes through the modem/internet, and data that is not encrypted... well who cares?
|
|
|
06-07-2006, 09:59 PM
|
#7
|
Senior Member
Registered: Nov 2004
Distribution: Mint, MX, antiX, SystemRescue
Posts: 2,337
|
Yes and no.
Yes - because I own and use one.
No - because I still use iptables, tcpwrappers, stop unneeded services, etc.
Rings of security.
|
|
|
06-12-2006, 09:32 AM
|
#8
|
Member
Registered: Feb 2006
Distribution: Slackware 13.1 / 13.37
Posts: 91
Original Poster
Rep:
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by randyding
Trust stops at eth0 of your linux firewall. The modem is part of the internet as far as security is concerned.
|
Thank you for this prespective. It helped me decide.
Quote:
Originally Posted by haertig
Yes - because I own and use one.
|
This resembles a Windows zombie PC or just filled with spyware. The owner may have the priviledge to turn the PC on and off, sell or destroy it, but it literally belongs to someone else.
|
|
|
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:01 AM.
|
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing
Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute
content, let us know.
|
Latest Threads
LQ News
|
|