Firewall?

[John Summerfied]

Yong Chu Eu () wrote:
> Just to ask any expert that, Firewall (without Secure Linux
> enforcement) within fedora is enought to secure my fedora box? i wish
> to do some online banking transaction.

The presence or otherwise of a firewall has nothing to do with security 
of online banking transactions.

A firewall is used to control incoming network connexions. If you are 
not running any servers (eg mail, ftp, web server) you have little to 
worry about in that matter.

More important is your own behaviour, the security of your password, 
your response to emails "from your bank" providing you with the address 
of a site to confirm your details (ignore those, your bank won't do 
that) and so on.

The number of emails I've seen from banks (and ebay.co.uk and paypal) 
where I'm unknown, and even from support@ my own domain name....

Also important is the source of programs you download and install. 
Windows users are beset with programs that do more than advertised: 
"more" including sending your banking details to some criminal, sending 
email (spam), popping up ads etc etc.

I've not heard of that happening to Linux users, but it's perfectly 
possible, and I wonder why it hasn't. Sometimes an OSS site gets cracked 
(a Linux mirror in .nl, sendmail, sourceforge.net and Debian come to 
mind) but that's not common, mostly quickly detected and announced, and 
carefully attended to.

btw AFAIK these cracks didn't occur because of firewall problems, but 
rather because of poor password selection and control and similar human 
factors. And weak software - wu-ftpd was fairly well-known in this regard.





-- 

Cheers
John

-- spambait
1aaaaaaa at computerdatasafe.com.au  Z1aaaaaaa at computerdatasafe.com.au
Tourist pics http://portgeographe.environmentaldisasters.cds.merseine.nu/