Securing your Internet Access via DrakFirewall

Abstract

This little tool allows you to set up a basic firewall on your machine. It will filter connection attempts made from the outside, and block unauthorized ones. It is a good idea to run it just after installing your machine and before connecting to the Internet, thus minimizing the risks of your machine being cracked.

Figure 5.5. The DrakFirewall Window

The DrakFirewall Window

Simply uncheck the Everything (no firewall) box, and then check the boxes corresponding to the services you wish to make available to the outside world. If you wish to authorize a service which is not listed here, click on the Advanced button to manually enter the port numbers to open.

[Tip]Tip

The Advanced button will open an Other ports field where you can enter any port to be opened to the outside world. Examples of ports specifications are presented just above the input field, use them as a guide. It is possible to specify port ranges by using the : syntax. Example: 24300:24350/udp

Not checking a service in this list will not prevent you from connecting to it. It will only prevent people from the Internet connecting to your machine. If you do not plan to host any services on your machine (common case for a desktop machine) just leave all boxes unchecked.

If, on the other hand, you wish to disable the firewall and leave all services accessible from the outside, check Everything (no firewall).

Then, clicking on OK will bring you to the next step, which consists in selecting the network interface connected to the Internet.

Figure 5.6. The Internet Interface

The Internet Interface

Refer to the examples to determine your Internet interface name. If you are unsure, you can check the system network configuration (the section called “Manage Connections”). You can finally click OK to activate the firewall and enjoy your secure Internet connection.