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A Firewall with a Window?
Firm announces Zone Alarm, BlackIce risks
(old news - 11:01AM Monday Feb 16 2004)
tags: security
Security firm eEye warns of a new vulnerability affecting both Zone Alarm and Black Ice software firewalls that could allow remote access and control of a user's system. The specifics at the moment are vague, though users in our security forum are discussing the seriousness of the announcement. According to the alerts (BlackIce, Zone Alarm), the exploits allow "anonymous attackers to compromise default installations of the affected software and gain the highest possible level of access." The announcement is also being discussed over at the Zone Labs forums.

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Forums » A Firewall with a Window?
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Post a:
ccseifert

join:2001-06-25
Syracuse, NY

Sweet.

Is there anything more ironic than a firewall with a system-takeover vulnerability?

MarkAW
Barry White or lil bratt
Premium
join:2001-08-27
Canada
·Cogeco Cable
·Bell Sympatico

Re: sweet

ISS advisory about Checkpoint termed 'inacurate'

"An advisory about vulnerabilities in the popular Checkpoint firewall, put out by Internet Security Systems last week, was inaccurate, a senior Checkpoint official says.

Scott Ferguson, Checkpoint regional director for Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific, said the advice provided by ISS in its advisory was "not entirely accurate."

"One alleged flaw referred to a key exchange over private networks - this is referring to a three-year-old issue and the installed base has been upgraded a long time ago," Ferguson said." »www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/02/···498.html
PGDUDE

join:2001-06-15
Bowie, MD

Re: Sweet.

Solution: Run both a hardware and software firewall. I run both a a netgear firewall and the latest ZA 4.5.538. That is plenty of protection for most home users.

novaflare
The Dragon Was Here
Premium
join:2002-01-24
Barberton, OH

said by ccseifert See Profile:
Is there anything more ironic than a firewall with a system-takeover vulnerability?

Lol there have been atacks to crash za around for a long long time. Dont effect me though first layer of defense smoothwall secound sygatepersonal pro 3 lic one for each comp on the lan along with avg to stop any viruses then 3rd layer common sense i think its the strongest layer of security i have and i recomend a very strong dose of it if your going to be online
--
my fav mmorpg »www.rubiesofeventide.com my site »spellbound.valshea.com/news.php

Mellow
Premium
join:2001-11-16
Salisbury, MD

Hardware Firewall

Once again, all the more reason to get a hardware firewall. If you want something done right get a good HARDWARE firewall.

Corvus
Flaming Tards Since 2003
Premium,VIP
join:2003-11-26

Re: Hardware Firewall

And good hardware firewall doesn't mean a 50$ router

qdemn7
Smurf in My Loop
Premium
join:2003-09-16
Fort Worth, TX

Re: Hardware Firewall

said by Corvus See Profile:
And good hardware firewall doesn't mean a 50$ router

So what would you (and Mellow) reccommend as a "good" hardware firewall?

koitsu
Premium
join:2002-07-16
Mountain View, CA

Re: Hardware Firewall

A pair of scissors.

Mellow
Premium
join:2001-11-16
Salisbury, MD
·HostGator
·Cavalier Telephone

For the best I would go for a PIX. But your everyday consumer cant afford or configure that kind of setup. I recommend something that has SPI and has rule sets. An easy user gui doesnt hurt either. If you want cheap you can find the Netgear FVS318 at staples for $150. I have this installed at a remote office handling VPN with no problems. If you want to go cheaper and have a spare box you can do a smoothwall/ipcop/etc.. linux software firewall. I use ipcop at home and love it, it runs fine on an old cyrix 586 with 64megs in it. Just chunked in 3 nics and configured it, so now I got wan,lan,dmz. You cant beat that price $0.

qdemn7
Smurf in My Loop
Premium
join:2003-09-16
Fort Worth, TX

Re: Hardware Firewall

said by Mellow See Profile:
For the best I would go for a PIX. But your everyday consumer cant afford or configure that kind of setup. I recommend something that has SPI and has rule sets. An easy user gui doesnt hurt either. If you want cheap you can find the Netgear FVS318 at staples for $150. I have this installed at a remote office handling VPN with no problems. If you want to go cheaper and have a spare box you can do a smoothwall/ipcop/etc.. linux software firewall. I use ipcop at home and love it, it runs fine on an old cyrix 586 with 64megs in it. Just chunked in 3 nics and configured it, so now I got wan,lan,dmz. You cant beat that price $0.

Tanks for the info. That Netgear looks like a good deal for $120 @ Newegg. Actually I was thinking of upgrading to Zywall 10W. I've been very happy with my $30 DLink DI604, but I'm always thinking about what's next.
--
"It's the squares who know how to fly the fighter planes and operate the missiles and the bombs and work the M-16s. Liberals would still be fumbling with the federally mandated trigger locks." -- P.J. O'Rourke
shuubz
A Good Kind Of Pain

join:2001-02-12
Dexter, MI

Netgear FVS-318, updated firmware, remote admin turned OFF.

List price is USD149.00 for a true-stateful-inspection appliance.

Can clone a MAC address on the external interface, in case you use a Comcast-like, sphincter-grade ISP that registers MAC addies. Includes an 8-port 10/100mb switch.

Good set-it-and-forget-it security, will even email/ship logs to a designated syslogd-enabled entity.
--
What is left for the meek is not worth having...I don't need a shepherd, I need a Muse...The only thing I can call my own is who I am; insecurity is pointless.

AnonGuy

@verizon.ne
I run Smoothwall, (www.smoothwall.org) and it does a great job. Easy setup, web interface etc.. Check it out.

qdemn7
Smurf in My Loop
Premium
join:2003-09-16
Fort Worth, TX

Re: Hardware Firewall

said by AnonGuy:
I run Smoothwall, (www.smoothwall.org) and it does a great job. Easy setup, web interface etc.. Check it out.

Thanks for the heads up. I'm running ZA Pro + NAV 2003 behind my DLink and I'm pretty happy.
--
"It's the squares who know how to fly the fighter planes and operate the missiles and the bombs and work the M-16s. Liberals would still be fumbling with the federally mandated trigger locks." -- P.J. O'Rourke
Tommyastro

join:2004-01-18
Poughkeepsie, NY
There is NOTHING wrong with a $50 router. I have one and it works just great. Big bucks don't always mean the best.

Try again.

Qumahlin
Never Enough Time
Premium,MVM
join:2001-10-05
united state

Re: Hardware Firewall

said by Tommyastro See Profile:
There is NOTHING wrong with a $50 router. I have one and it works just great. Big bucks don't always mean the best.

Try again.

Um yes it works as a router...but not as a true firewall, especially if it's a crap linksys router.
--
Forum Posts:4004

novaflare
The Dragon Was Here
Premium
join:2002-01-24
Barberton, OH

Re: Hardware Firewall

said by Qumahlin See Profile:
said by Tommyastro See Profile:
There is NOTHING wrong with a $50 router. I have one and it works just great. Big bucks don't always mean the best.

Try again.

Um yes it works as a router...but not as a true firewall, especially if it's a crap linksys router.

first /me waves to the other smoothwall users on the forum and asks do you know of any software that reads the logs from it like wallwatcher for example (pm me if you do)
and now why are linksys routers so bad? Minbe is a old befsr41 thats now sering as nothing more than switch hub what ever you want to call it. I bought it new when it was new how ever many years ago that was and have had no problems ever. Is there some huge exploit that breaks the defenses it has for your lan or what ? just curious here i hear people say how bad they are but never what makes them bad.
--
my fav mmorpg »www.rubiesofeventide.com my site »spellbound.valshea.com/news.php
Tommyastro

join:2004-01-18
Poughkeepsie, NY
·RoadRunner Cable

Re: Hardware Firewall

Dragon,
The guy for some reason has a bug in his bonnet against the lower priced Linksys, ignore his comment. The $50 linksys I have is not bad, it works just fine as I said. It has been blocking EVERYTHING, including the HUNDREDS of Mydoom attempts the past week or 2. I use Link Logger (paid for it 2 days after downloading it) and it works great also, shows/tells you everything.

As I said, there is NOTHING wrong with the BEFSR41 I have, it's been working like a champ for a month now nonstop.

Tom

Lindy0001

@comcast.net

Conclusion: Healthy Setup! We could detect no interesting responses from any of the commonly probed TCP and UDP ports. It would be difficult for an attacker to know where to start without further information
___________________________________________________________

All that security from my $50 Linksys router. I dont run firewall software in the inside of my router. I have an WWW/FTP server running on Windows 2003 with those ports forwarded to it, and three XP Pro clients.

I have never been hacked to my knowledge. I dont believe you need expensive hardware or software...you just need to know WTF your doing.

Having good Anti-Virus software always updated, POP blocker like google bar (free), spyware software like Ad aware (free), you $50 Router set to repsond to nothing on the internet, and running windows update everyday set to download and install. Dont use stupid software like Kaza and for god sakes have semi-complex passwords on your systems.

IronChefMoto
Premium
join:2001-02-08
Alpharetta, GA

Re: Hardware Firewall

said by Lindy0001:
for god sakes have semi-complex passwords on your systems.

So..."password" or "secret" aren't good passwords to be using? DAMN! FOILED AGAIN!

IronChefMorimoto
--
Desktop: Abit NF7-S 2.0 | AMD AthlonXP 2500+ | 1GB PC3200 DDR | 128MB ATI Radeon 9500 Pro
Laptop: Dell Latitude C810 | Intel PIII-M | 512MB PC133 SDRAM | 32MB Nvidia GeForce2 Go
tc17

join:2003-08-14

said by Tommyastro See Profile:
There is NOTHING wrong with a $50 router. I have one and it works just great. Big bucks don't always mean the best.

Try again.

I totally agree. Except some people seem to think something isn't good unless it costs big bucks. This thinking is why our Goverment pays $1000 for a hammer.

Bobcat
Cablevision sucks donkey balls
Premium
join:2001-02-04
Bedminster, NJ
·Verizon Online DSL

said by Corvus See Profile:
And good hardware firewall doesn't mean a 50$ router
For a typical home user who doesn't run servers, a regular NAT router is fine. It will drop all unsolicited connection attempts.

--
"...Saddam Hussein still has chemical and biological weapons..."
» George W. Bush, October 7, 2002.

IronChefMoto
Premium
join:2001-02-08
Alpharetta, GA

said by Corvus See Profile:
And good hardware firewall doesn't mean a 50$ router

But...but...but...this week's COMPUSA newspaper ad told me a $29 D-Link router would block ANY attack that came into my computer? And COMPUSA's weekly sale paper wouldn't lie, right? Nor would those well-informed technically expert salespeople in the store right? RIGHT?!

IronChefMorimoto
--
Desktop: Abit NF7-S 2.0 | AMD AthlonXP 2500+ | 1GB PC3200 DDR | 128MB ATI Radeon 9500 Pro
Laptop: Dell Latitude C810 | Intel PIII-M | 512MB PC133 SDRAM | 32MB Nvidia GeForce2 Go

Rhobite
Premium
join:2002-02-24
Cambridge, MA
clubs:

Re: But...COMPUSA wouldn't lie...right?

What attack is not blocked by a simple NAT router? Obviously the thing doesn't protect you from e-mails and DOS attacks, but I don't understand all these people saying that a simple hardware firewall is somehow inadequate.
--
Jimmysquid.com - I take pictures.

Corvus
Flaming Tards Since 2003
Premium,VIP
join:2003-11-26
Never heard any exploits about accessing linksys console on Wan side?

novaflare
The Dragon Was Here
Premium
join:2002-01-24
Barberton, OH

said by Corvus See Profile:
And good hardware firewall doesn't mean a 50$ router

How about a nice beat up 133 compaq desk pro with this smoothwall.org going in to a 50dolor router acting as a hub. does that qualify as a good set up (see previous post i also use sygate). Smoothwall turns any old comp in to what amounts to a hardware firewall. Remember firewalls hard ware or other wise are ran by software. Theres other alternatives out there both pay and free coyote linux is another turn a old comp in to a hardware fire wall linux distro. And m0n0 wall can be installed on some old routers and other similar devices also a distro that works on pc of m0n0wall. Hard ware fire walls don't need to cost 150 200 300+ dolors or be custom built you can make one your self cheap. Mine cost me a old 160watt psu i paid 20 bucks for like 6 months ago for example that i traded for a compaq deskpro p133.
--
my fav mmorpg »www.rubiesofeventide.com my site »spellbound.valshea.com/news.php

Tursiops_G
Technoid
Premium,MVM
join:2002-02-06
Norwalk, CT
clubs:
·Optimum Online


3 edits

Re: Hardware Firewall

Edit: something went wrong with this post... Reposted at end of thread (?) :/
(original text):
Or, How about getting that old 8MB 486/66 box out of the basement/garage/junkpile, removing the HD, installing 2 ISA NICs, and running the FREE GnatBox Light S/W »www.gnatbox.com from Floppy? Total cost: $0.00 (if you already have the PC and the 2 NIC cards on hand, that is.)
averagedude

join:2002-01-30
Mesa, AZ
I hear this talked about allot, and I am confused as to what makes a "true" hardware firewall. Could you give a make and model number of an "affordable" unit?

errantmind

@mc.videot

oh well...

Sygate is better anyway

Doctor Four
My other vehicle is a TARDIS
Premium
join:2000-09-05
Dallas, TX
·AT&T U-Verse
·RoadRunner Cable
·AT&T Yahoo

Re: oh well...

I'll second that. I had Zone Alarm (free version) on my old
PC, and it wasn't very confiurable as far as blocking
individual IP addresses. Both Sygate free and Pro can do
that and more, including shutting down all access from a
given address if repeated port scans are detected from it -
it is what is known as Active Response, and cuts off all
access from that address for 600 seconds.

It's a good thing I switched a few months ago.
--
"Kayura or Badamon, whichever you are, you should know that I will never give up this battle. By the will of the Ancient, I shall succeed!" - Shuten (Anubis) from the Ronin Warriors.

GNXPower
Got Boost?
Premium
join:2003-12-18
Huntington Beach, CA

What's the point without specifics...

There is little to discuss or do about this without them.

Steve
Pipe Wrench Fight
Consultant
join:2001-03-10
Yorba Linda, CA

Re: What's the point without specifics...

said by GNXPower See Profile:
There is little to discuss or do about this without them.
Sure there is: the vendors have been notified: Pressure them.
--
Stephen J. Friedl * Security Consultant * Tustin, California USA * my web site
Kip patterson
Premium
join:2000-10-23
Columbus, OH

Keep in mind the source

These vulnerabilities have been reported by a firm in the business, a competitior of sorts.

They should be confirmed before anyone gets too concerned.

Da22in
Buck Fush

join:2002-06-10
Charlotte, NC
clubs:

Re: Keep in mind the source

Exactly! Some theoretical vulnerabilities claimed by a competitor. I'm not worried though, seems to be a fad - spout off some fantasy exploit that has never been actually acheived or proven, ITW or otherwise.

This company needs to put up or stfu.
vic102482
Premium
join:2002-04-30
Upper Marlboro, MD

This has been an issue for years

Software firewalls can be at the mercy of the OS. Hacks have been out for years on software firewalls.
--
I tie a rope around my penis and jump from a tree, don't you wanna grow up to be just like me!!!!

KaziSmith
Premium
join:2001-06-29
Dallas, TX

whoa FLASHBACK

Wasn't this an issue not more then what, 2 years ago with ZoneAlarm with a master key or something?

Well, at any rate, im glad I run Kerio (It could have a vulnerability too... who knows O.o)

Soapm

join:2001-07-15
Aurora, CO

Rebrand?

I guess they will just rebrand the firewalls as VPN application's?

coxta
Ultramundane
Premium
join:2000-07-15
LALALALALALA
·Pacific Bell - SBC

Re: Rebrand?

A hardware firewall? That's just a box with a stripped down OS. It still uses the same firewall software.

ZA is now owned by Checkpoint. They have the best firewall on the market hands down. I'm sure that if they want to they can put the resources towards resolving this issue.
--
If true happiness can only be achieved through a state of nothingness, you're going down the right path.
FootstepsOG

join:2004-02-17
Tucson, AZ

Re: Rebrand?

Both the German and Chinese governments have considered banning MS-Windows from the nation's networks due to the common knowledge (something you can read in popular news magazines) that exported versions have US government backdoors. They decided, however, that the economic result would be too costly. When options do exist, however, the worst software to purchase from oversea vendors is your security applications (laws of one nation don't provide much protection for the citizens of another). SUN's security suites, for example, are all written in Russia (how safe does that make you feel?). More importantly, though, the most popular firewall in America is exported from Isreal (Checkpoint). Sidewinder G2 from Secure computing is the most common firewall on NSA networks and has never had a security patch (while Cisco PIXes, etc. have had many). IMHO, Sidewinder is the best firewall (also packaged with systems from Dell). If I lived in Isreal, on the other hand, I might be suggesting not to buy from American vendors. For home use, the $60 Linksys BEFSR41 does more that older NAT routers.

XBL2009
------

join:2001-01-03
Chicago, IL
·AT&T Midwest


1 edit

Horsecrap !

I hate these Doom and Gloom stories that there is a huge hole in the firewall. Most of the time it's just dumb noobs that don't do what there suppose to do like set a password for ZAP or set there folder permissions.

Some basic tips:

1. Use router
2. Use ZAP or other firewall
3. PGP disk containers for important files
4. Surf Encryption and anonymous is available for a cost !
5. unplug the net when your away from the puter

fatmanskinny
Premium
join:2004-01-04
Wandering
·Comcast Digital Vo..
·Comcast
·EarthLink

Folks, let's make up our minds.....

and realize that nothing is guaranteed to be 100% safe. It annoys the $hit out of me to hear Linux users saying "Linux is robust and you cannot get through Linux and blah blah blah". "Mac never catches a virus and is based on the Unix kernel, blah blah blah". "My firewall is rock solid and nothing can get through it".

For these idiots who think their systems are 100% secure, go to Barnes and Noble and look in their computer book section. You will be surprised by the amount of books you will see on "hacking" Linux, Macs and security systems (i.e. firewalls). Of course, these hacking books come with disclaimers such as "this book is intended for educational purposes only and not to actually hack into systems. Yeah, right.

Quit believing your $hit is 100% safe. Heck, life is not guaranteed from second to second. You think your firewall is? Please join the patch-and-fix group and shaddup already about your 100% safe network.
--
"We are going to Linux. Then we are going to Unix. Then on up to Mac. Then on to DOS. Then we are going to Dell. Then we are going to Microsoft to take back our desktops! YEEEEAAHHHHH!!" - Howard Dean on Technology

Rhobite
Premium
join:2002-02-24
Cambridge, MA
clubs:

Re: Folks, let's make up our minds.....

You gave me a good laugh there. Do you really think you can walk into a Barnes and Noble and find out how to discover and exploit an unknown buffer overflow in a major software product? Give me a break. I'm not saying that any package is totally secure, but the idea that you can get information on specific vulnerabilities from some random book on "hacking" is pretty far-fetched.
--
Jimmysquid.com - I take pictures.

cbrigante2
Cubs 20??
Premium
join:2002-11-22
North Aurora, IL

Re: Folks, let's make up our minds.....

said by Rhobite See Profile:
You gave me a good laugh there. Do you really think you can walk into a Barnes and Noble and find out how to discover and exploit an unknown buffer overflow in a major software product? Give me a break. I'm not saying that any package is totally secure, but the idea that you can get information on specific vulnerabilities from some random book on "hacking" is pretty far-fetched.

»search.barnesandnoble.com/bookse···23&itm=1

Thought it might be prudent to look that "fact" up

Rhobite
Premium
join:2002-02-24
Cambridge, MA
clubs:

Re: Folks, let's make up our minds.....

said by cbrigante2 See Profile:
»search.barnesandnoble.com/bookse···23&itm=1

Thought it might be prudent to look that "fact" up
That book's just a list of old vulnerabilities that have been patched for a long time.
--
Jimmysquid.com - I take pictures.

Boogeyman
Drive it like you stole it
Premium
join:2002-12-17
Huntsville, AL

Re: Folks, let's make up our minds.....

Only patched on systems whose users keep thier stuff patched. Thats the main problem, most people dont patch thier software and OS. If they did, there wouldnt be so many DoS attacks, virii, trojans, and worms running around.

And there is a lot you can learn even from old exploits that have been patched, you can set up your own network with an unpatched machine and try them all out, learn the basics, ect.
--
"There's no such thing as a soul. It's just something they made up to scare kids, like the Boogeyman or Michael Jackson." - Bart SimpsonDigital Anime, where all the lamers come to play

cbrigante2
Cubs 20??
Premium
join:2002-11-22
North Aurora, IL
I kind of figured the books were about htat, but like boogyman said, you can learn a lot from how it's patched.
systems2000
What? You Say It's Fixed. Hah

join:2001-11-29
Cyberspace
·Embarq

There Are Good Choices


Did anyone really read the quote?
quote:
"anonymous attackers to compromise default installations of the affected software..."
If you don't trust software firewalls, SMC has a NAT/SPI router (SMC7004FW) that fits the Stateful Packet argument for a fairly low cost.

»www.smc.com/index.cfm?sec=Produc···6&site=c

Look'n'Stop has a pretty powerful software firewall.

See 9 replies to this post

Thasp6
The Thasps Are Everywhere.
Premium
join:2003-06-08
Your Mind.

Ah, more the reason...

To say ZA sucks. That program was garbage when I last tried it, and several more security flaws is icing on the swiss cheese cake.

Sygate and Kerio are a lot better anyway.
--
THE THASPS ARE EVERYWHERE.

C_
Kill The Socialists
Premium
join:2001-03-19

Re: Ah, more the reason...

said by Thasp6 See Profile:
To say ZA sucks. That program was garbage when I last tried it, and several more security flaws is icing on the swiss cheese cake.

thats cause you only used 1 zonealarm, you need 1337^2 zonealarms for maximum protection
--
A Poem by C|I'm thebigc321 and I did not approve this message.

Tursiops_G
Technoid
Premium,MVM
join:2002-02-06
Norwalk, CT
clubs:
·Optimum Online


4 edits

A "Cheap-O" Alternative. ;)

How about getting that old 8MB 486/66 box out of the basement/garage/junkpile, removing the HD, install 2 ISA NICs, and running the FREE GnatBox Light S/W »www.gnatbox.com from Floppy? Total cost: $0.00 (if you already have the PC and the 2 NIC cards on hand, that is.) Believe it or not, it works.
--
If at first You don't succeed... Use a Bigger Hammer!
shutchi2

join:2002-04-13
Lincoln Park, MI

Blackice

Did anyone else notice that Blackice Defender had a new update as of today? Timing seems a bit suspicious, but didn't see any new information on it...

BMax

@aol.com

Re: Blackice

Black Ice has stopped working for me....beware....block intruder forever huh probed 13 times today have no idea what damage/theft has accured. On Thin Ice can anybody help? Soon tobe frozen

MikBo
Just Happy To Be Here
Premium
join:2002-01-04
Lynchburg, VA

Zone Alarm Updated

Just received update for vulnerabilty in ZA,2-18-04,apparently addresses issues that were recently discovered.
--
"Things will get better,despite our efforts to improve them!"--Will Rogers
Forums » A Firewall with a Window?


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