Re: TARGET: Firewalls- necessary?

[Kathryn Frech <lib@STNY.RR.COM>]

On 6 Jun 01, at 13:42, Nicole and Pete Carner <carnerd@CAPITAL.NET> wrote:

> Hi, my name is Nicole Carner, and I'm interested in the usefulness of
> firewalls in both public and school settings. Do many (if any) libraries
> use them, and if not, should it be something that should be explored? The
> reason I ask is that I just read an article in the June issure of Computer
> Buyer's Guide and Handbook, stating that when online, not only is what
> we're transmitting vulnerable, but also our entire hard drives. Shouldn't
> this be a concern? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated, and a HIT
> will be posted with the results. Thanks in advance!

Oh my goodness, yes, a firewall is absolutely necessary!

When we got internet access for our Windows machines
via a local cable provider they claimed that they had a
firewall in place already. But when I tested our setup with
Steve Gibson's "ShieldUp" site (http://grc.com/default.htm),
I discovered that in actuality we were completely open to
view (and therefore, attack).  After that, I followed the
directions at that site to close the ports, and then installed
ZoneAlarm's excellent firewall (http://www.zonelabs.com/).
(I use the same one (freeware version) at home also.)

For more information about online computer security, I
highly recommend Steve Gibson's site, above, and the
articles by Fred Langa (of LangaList newsletter fame) on
the topic:
(http://www.techweb.com/winmag/columns/explorer/2000/07.htm
).

Oh, and make sure to also subscribe to the MS TechNet
security bulletins.  They'll send email with information
when new MS security vulnerabilities are discovered and
when patches are issued to fix same.
(http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/current.asp)

Finally, if you're even contemplating putting your library
catalog and/or other items on your school servers online,
you must must *must* get good security for them, starting
with a strong firewall.

HTH!


--
Kathryn Frech, Librarian
Seton Catholic Central H.S.
Binghamton, NY  USA
(lib@stny.rr.com)

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