From: Adam Flinton 

Antti Kurenniemi wrote:
> Hiya,
>
>
> my cousin has an old computer in which she's running an unlicensed
> ("borrowed") copy of W2k, and I'm thinking of installing
Linux on it - she
> only needs to use a word processor and browse the net, so I think she'd do
> well enough with Mandrake or similar "easy" release once
it's installed.
>
> But how's that security by default? Should I install a firewall and/or a
> virus scanner, or do they come in the default installation? Ports open or
> closed by default? Everything needs to be as automatic as possible, because
> I don't want to study that stuff much nor do I want to drive at her place
> every day.
>
> TIA,
> Antti Kurenniemi
>
>


Is the lass on dialup or broadband?


If Broadband then the best way is to get a modem/router/hub thingy &
simply direct incoming ports as needed to her machine (assuming she wants
to run some sort of services e.g. 80 if she wants to run a web site.)

If dialup then there are lots of linux firewall creation tools with nice
guis but all basically just use the underlying iptables stuff.

Possibly the easiest is to install webmin & ssh server & then
choose to firewall all incoming except ssh & then if you need to admin,
get her to dialup, type ifconfig & read you out the ip address she's
been given for that connection by her ISP.

For my mother....I have part of the "ppp-up" script which right
at the end mails her with the ppp address details so she can just send that
to me.

Once in via ssh you can port forward webmin etc or indeed start vncserver
& port forward that (should she need help).

wrt virus scanners....you can....but there are very few linux viruses &
basically the AV tools are there for running a linux server i.e. where you
are looking for windows viruses so you can defang them as they (for
instance) transit the mail system.

Adam

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