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Security Strategies for Deploying "Personal" Desktop Firewalls
The Tolly Group, Jan 2001, Pages: 54
Researchers define the key security risks to mobile/remote host users that employ high-speed residential Internet links and run the Windows 2000 Professional operating system. Tests illustrate how personal firewalls should be configured to protect against these threats. And how Local Security Policy settings, available as part of standard Windows 2000 Professional, can be implemented in concert with a personal firewall.
Researchers utilized a variety of methods to assess the integrity and functionality of a representative sampling of personal desktop firewall products. These included “outside-in” attacks incorporating port scanners, such as the Linux-based nmap, as well as “inside- out” attacks implementing Trojan Horses, such as SubSeven 2.2. Testing paid special attention to NetBios-specific vulnerabilities, as this can be a particularly weak point of Windows-based systems. Techniques such as application masquerading and directory path integrity checking were performed as part of the testing to insure that the PDF application filtering mechanisms are sufficiently robust and not easily circumvented. Additionally, key security features native to Windows 2000 Professional were included in some tests in order to demonstrate how security can be further strengthened.
This issue focused on defining the key security risks to mobile/remote host users that utilize high-speed residential Internet links and the Windows 2000 Professional operating system. It outlines how personal firewalls should be configured to protect against these threats and illustrates how Windows 2000 Professional's Local Security Policy settings can be implemented in concert with a personal firewall.
Primary net production was completed using an Ellicit.org Gnit Vulnerability Engine Port Scanning Utility David Litchfield (publicly available) NetBios Administration Tool (NAT) SubSeven.slak.org - SubSeven 2.2 Symantec - Desktop Firewall V2.0 SyGate - Personal Firewall V2.1 (Build 472) Tiny Software, Inc. (freeware) - Tiny Personal Firewall V2.0.1.
Key infrastructure elements consisted of firewall clients and port scanners. The firewall clients used were generic 550-MHz Pentium III processors (3) Windows 2000 Professional Service Pack 1 Dell Inspiron 7500 Laptop Windows 2000 Professional Service Pack 1 and a 450-MHz Pentium III processor. The port scanners used were a generic ATX PC 200-MHz Pentium and a Red Hat Linux 6.1 (workstation version).
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