[Newbie tips for Security] Firestarter Slackbuild that works nicely with Slackware.
 

Okay, I know Firestarter isn't the most updated or well conceived firewall solution for Slackware and it's very obnoxious (maybe?) to install due to the dependency requirements of:

libgnome
libgnomeui
gnome-vfs

and a few other Gnome components you'd rather not want install unless you don't care and want to resolve dependencies, but Firestarter is fairly easy to use, set up, and it can work with imported scripts and such.

Anyways, I found this gem of a Slackbuild today, and it works very nicely and doesn't require anything else (it even edits in the rc.firestarter scripts handlers for rc.local and rc.local_shutdown scripts for you).

http://repository.slacky.eu/gnome-sl...ter/1.0.3/src/

This package also don't just include the RC script for console based startup and shutdown but also the INIT files for desktop integration startup also.

(It also doesn't do that ANNOYING double instance at startup.)

To build the package download all the files in the directory, make the firestarter.SlackBuild file executable, and then run it. Simple.

Mind you this package hasn't been updated for some time even from the original provider, but it does work rather nicely and behaves with all the current and existing Slackware releases out and is better engineered for people needing a fast and easy firewall setup like beginners and new users that may be intimidated by other firewall solutions out there that can be difficult for beginners to use and configure. Plus, Firestarter as a Firewall is more geared towards the Home/Office User (I wouldn't recommend it for Server usage though).

It has a nice feature to even block the network, lock the firewall, or reopen the network at a click of the mouse, and can even auto-stop the network in the case of an emergency.

I won't say it's a better firewall than Shorewall, FWBuilder, etc. but it's still very useful none-the-less.

So, have fun, and enjoy.

Many thanks to Andrea Sciucca at www.slacky.it for this slackbuild.

At slackbuilds.org they have the shorewall firewall available: http://slackbuilds.org/repository/13...ork/shorewall/
There is also Alien Bob's firewall generator for IP tables:
http://connie.slackware.com/~alien/efg/
I have never found the need for a firewall in Slackware. Slackware is very secure out of the box. You can easily disable unneeded services in Slackware: http://www.slackbook.org/html/securi...CURITY-DISABLE
Or just use "Choose Slackware installation scripts to run again" after launching pkgtools as root.

I am probably overly paranoid, but, I do feel the need to run a firewall on my Slackware boxes. I currently have a PIII 667 MHZ IBM 300PL set-up as a router/firewall(running FreeBSD-pfSense). I also use Alien Bob's firewall generator. :)

I've never ran without a firewall of some kind. My router has a built-in SPI Firewall but I tend to get a software firewall for just such emergencies.

I haven't used BOBs generator yet, but I like the idea of having it around. I'll look into it sometime if Firestarter ever gets a bit problematic.

My understanding is that Firestarter (and most Linux firewall programs) is a frontend for iptables.

A newer version would affect only the functionality of the Firestarter GUI, not the function of iptables itself.

I like Firestarter, but I've also been quite happy with a simple rc.firewall script.

I would not put any computer on the internet without a firewall. It's like leaving the keys in the car. You can do it 10,000 times; the 10,001st time, no car.