What internet security?

On Wed, 7 Apr 2004 4:03:08 -0700, Androo wrote
(in message ):

 > I've just signed up for broadband (for my new iMac running Panther) and
 > can't quite decide whether I need just a virus checker, just a firewall,
 > both, or neither.
 >
 > I know Mac viruses aren't much of a problem (yet), but I guess I could still
 > pass Windows viruses to other people so would like to prevent that.
 >
 > And I know I have a built in firewall, but is it good enough? Would, say,
 > Norton's firewall offer any advantage?
 >
 > Androo
 >
 >

I would say that a firewall is almost a necessity, and I would consider
Apple's firewall to be fine. AFAIK, a firewall is a firewall. If you tell a
firewall to allow NO WAN activity, it doesn't matter whose it is. So it is
more a matter of ease of use/interface design. As far as virus checker
software goes, you are not likely to get infected yourself, and unless you
forward spam, not likely to infect others either. Most virii that I am aware
of replicate after infecting the host, so if you never get infected, all you
have to do is delete all viral emails.

Steve
 >> Stay informed about: What internet security? 

In article ,
Steve <nobodyNOSPAM.DeleteThis@comcast.net> wrote:

 > On Wed, 7 Apr 2004 4:03:08 -0700, Androo wrote

 >
  > > I've just signed up for broadband (for my new iMac running Panther) and
  > > can't quite decide whether I need just a virus checker, just a firewall,
  > > both, or neither.
  > >
  > > I know Mac viruses aren't much of a problem (yet), but I guess I could still
  > > pass Windows viruses to other people so would like to prevent that.
  > >
  > > And I know I have a built in firewall, but is it good enough? Would, say,
  > > Norton's firewall offer any advantage?
  > >
  > > Androo
  > >
  > >
 >
 > I would say that a firewall is almost a necessity, and I would consider
 > Apple's firewall to be fine. AFAIK, a firewall is a firewall. If you tell a
 > firewall to allow NO WAN activity, it doesn't matter whose it is. So it is
 > more a matter of ease of use/interface design. As far as virus checker
 > software goes, you are not likely to get infected yourself, and unless you
 > forward spam, not likely to infect others either. Most virii that I am aware
 > of replicate after infecting the host, so if you never get infected, all you
 > have to do is delete all viral emails.
 >
 > Steve
 >

Get a router/firewall hardware solution. It's very easy to set up,
keeps your machine essentially invisible to the outside world, and
makes it much easier to get your next 2 or 3 computers online (ya knnow,
the ones you have to buy for your spouse or your kids :-) )
 >> Stay informed about: What internet security? 

 > Get a router/firewall hardware solution. It's very easy to set up,
 > keeps your machine essentially invisible to the outside world, and
 > makes it much easier to get your next 2 or 3 computers online (ya knnow,
 > the ones you have to buy for your spouse or your kids :-) )

Thanks all. Thought about a router, but I doubt if I'll be getting either
more computers, or a spouse and kids!

Androo
 >> Stay informed about: What internet security? 

In article ,
John Biltz <biltzjohn.RemoveThis@cox.net> wrote:

 > On Wed, 7 Apr 2004 04:03:08 -0700, Androo wrote

 >
  > > I've just signed up for broadband (for my new iMac running Panther) and
  > > can't quite decide whether I need just a virus checker, just a firewall,
  > > both, or neither.
  > >
  > > I know Mac viruses aren't much of a problem (yet), but I guess I could still
  > > pass Windows viruses to other people so would like to prevent that.
  > >
  > > And I know I have a built in firewall, but is it good enough? Would, say,
  > > Norton's firewall offer any advantage?
 >
 > I had Norton and switched to the built in firewall. I like it more and
 > did not like the way any of the Norton stuff runs and the Norton firewall
 > in windows is not highly regarded. You should have an antivirus,
 > everyone says so, but I don't run one. Its a pretty low priority, I'd
 > run one if there was a free one but I just don't think its worth the
 > money considering the threat level to a Mac.

At the other end of the scale FWIW, I have a router modem, use the built
in OS X firewall and have just installed Intego NetBarrier, which
doesn't get in the way any more than the OS X firewall unless you want
it to. It does give a huge amount of control over just what is filtered
and how. You can download it for a 30 day free trial at
<a rel="nofollow" style='text-decoration: none;' href="http://www.intego.com/home.asp." target="_blank">http://www.intego.com/home.asp.</a> I would strongly recommend at least
some kind of a virus checker. Yes, the Mac viruses are rare, I've heard
it said impossible under OS X, which I just don't believe. It just
takes one virus to cause untold grief, and the more successful Apple
Computer is, the more likely that viruses will appear for their OS.
Since Dr Whatsit - Virex has decided to make it very expensive to
continue with their product I've switched to VirusBarrier by the same
company above. It can be set to scan stuffit archives but not zip
archives, which could be a factor for you. (After the first year it'll
cost you US$20/year for the updates to the virus files.) These
applications cost US$60 each but for US$100.00 you can get both
applications plus either ContentBarrier or Personal Backup, which may
interest you more since you don't have a family. I know this sounds
like an ad for Intego. It's not, and I have no connection with the
company. I have just installed the first two mentioned. They look
good, but it's way too early to have any idea how they do the job. The
only thing I can say at this point is that they have so far run
transparently in the background except the occasional dialog from
NetBarrier asking if it can allow this or that application to access the
internet. (This can be turned off.) Also, I have yet to become aware of
any slowdown in computer operation. If you're interested in more, in a
few months put a message with "Intego" in the subject line in this
group. You might also look around for magazine reviews and other
messages here about these products.
 >> Stay informed about: What internet security?