Does this mean a computer is any safer then normal computers ?

T

The-One

Gawd
Joined
Sep 17, 2006
Messages
882
Does passing this test
https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2

mean that a computer is any safer then a non-stealth computer ?
And can one make their computer anymore secure/protected?


DoesthismeanyoureSafer.png






Thanks for your time... :D
 
You're not safer than similarly firewalled computer, but firewalling/stealth it doesn't mean anything for trojans/malware/rootkits/etc.
 
Xipher said:
It doesn't mean any thing to be honest.
Click to expand...

Well it means that Steve Gibson thinks it's secure.....


How that compares to reality is a completely other topic.
 
This just mean it is safe from some attacks but hackers are more inventive than you think and will target computers from the inside via some exploits ;)

The only true safe computer is a computer 100% disconnected from anything.
 
It wasn't a total waste of time. It at least means you have something between you and the net.

My wife's parents ordered cable internet, and plugged the modem straight into their computer. Guess who is getting a router for Christmas?
 
People are usually suprised when i recommend a router even with one computer on the internet.
Luckily the cable companies are starting to ship cable models with routers built in.
 
liquidcypher said:
It wasn't a total waste of time. It at least means you have something between you and the net.
Click to expand...

Yep, I don't think it's quite fair to say Gibson's test is meaningless just because it isn't a comprehensive test of every possible intrusion method.

It's a very good basic test.
 
liquidcypher said:
It wasn't a total waste of time. It at least means you have something between you and the net.

My wife's parents ordered cable internet, and plugged the modem straight into their computer. Guess who is getting a router for Christmas?
Click to expand...


mobiux
People are usually suprised when i recommend a router even with one computer on the internet.
Luckily the cable companies are starting to ship cable models with routers built in.
Click to expand...

I don't have a router yet.
I just have a modem plugged into my computer. :(










Spartacus said:
Yep, I don't think it's quite fair to say Gibson's test is meaningless just because it isn't a comprehensive test of every possible intrusion method.

It's a very good basic test.
Click to expand...

You are Right





Anybody have ideas on a great router ?
Is this D-Link a good secure router ?
The reviews seem good on it.
 
Xilikon said:
The only true safe computer is a computer 100% disconnected from anything.
Click to expand...
Actually, that was dis proven when the Verisign root CA was compromised a few years ago. It's turned off in a vault... 'course it took someone on the inside to do it but it was done.

And the DGL-4100 is a very nice router. It uses NAT and SPI methods to mask your internal computers from the external network and has a nice QoS engine. If you've got an extra box laying around, drop a BSD variant on it (pfSense/m0n0wall) and you'll have a pretty secure firewall.

Key thing to remember is that NOTHING is ever secure... it is your goal, as a security enthusiast/engineer/specialist, to make things as hardened as possible. If it's not worth the trouble, you eliminate the majority of the threat. You separate the angsty script-kiddies from the truly dedicated. :p
 
Spartacus said:
Yep, I don't think it's quite fair to say Gibson's test is meaningless just because it isn't a comprehensive test of every possible intrusion method.
Click to expand...

For the record - I never said it was meaningless. What I implied was that what Mr.Gibson says it does vesus what it actually does are very far removed from each other.

While not without it's own problems, http://grcsucks.com/ is worth having a look at.
 
Actually, that was dis proven when the Verisign root CA was compromised a few years ago. It's turned off in a vault... 'course it took someone on the inside to do it but it was done.
Click to expand...

Actually, it's a different thing since you are letting physical access, which can't be controlled by a software, firewall or any other electronic means. Call it a human error.

That's just details but I agree nothing is truly safe and the best thing is to try to secure it the most possible to get rid of 95% of the intrusions attempts and pray the remaining 5% doesn't hit you.

Securing ports is only a bulletpoint in a safety check list so you need to do more than this.
 
Malk-a-mite said:
For the record - I never said it was meaningless. What I implied was that what Mr.Gibson says it does vesus what it actually does are very far removed from each other.

While not without it's own problems, http://grcsucks.com/ is worth having a look at.
Click to expand...


Damn, I had no idea people felt that way about this guy.
From what articles off that site say, Steve is a real advertiser/fraud.


Quote from one of the articles:

I suggest that those with a technical bent visit the SpinRite website and see they can swallow such things as:

* "prevents mass storage systems from crashing" (nothing can do that)
* "sophisticated magnetodynamic physics models" (pseudo science)
* "weakest possible magnetic signals" (not real)
* "we doubt whether anyone but Steve and a handful of aliens would even know what all this is" (no argument there)
* "Weak Bits" (no such thing)
* "gradual evolution of the drive's storage surfaces through physical and magnetic stresses" (mumbo jumbo)
* "SpinRite is actually able to lower the amplification of the drive's internal read-amplifier" (impossible, and after all this time Steve apparently still does not know that data is recorded on magnetic disks with flux reversals, not "amplitude")
* "mass storage systems need periodic preventive maintenance" (nonsense)
* "yeah, we know, Steve's a magician with his code" (how modest)
Click to expand...
 
The-One said:
From what articles off that site say, Steve is a real advertiser/fraud.
Click to expand...

Like I said, the rebuttal site isn't without it's problems but while Mr.Gibson has put together some good work he dresses it all up with so much hype most people can't tell the great stuff from the B.S.

So yeah, feel free to use the scanning tool at GRC but be aware it's not the end all be all for your computer.
 
is a problem for any networked computer, if you are really concerned about securing your computer. I have been using a free product that is linux based and works as a software firewall on any 200mhz spare box you may have lying around.
Please check out smoothwall.org
It may not be the best AFAIK, but for a very small investment and a little time you can have a very strong firewall solution that is highly configurable.
 
liquidcypher said:
It wasn't a total waste of time. It at least means you have something between you and the net.

My wife's parents ordered cable internet, and plugged the modem straight into their computer. Guess who is getting a router for Christmas?
Click to expand...
a guy i used to work with brought his computer into work for me to look at.

he said that comcast wouldn't let him recconnect until he had all the viruses removed.

the thing had xp home with absolutely no updates on it. expired trial a/v. he just plugged the computer into the cable modem via USB and went to town.. i pulled the hard drive and scanned it with another computer.. and after a few hours of watching the a/v program tell me every file on the computer was infected i just asked him what files he needed off of there, copied them, and reformatted.

his computer was being used as some kind of relay to host fake music/movies/porn on p2p networks.

so i set him up with a router, sp2, spybot/adaware set to run once a week automatically, a/v set to run once a week.. and i guess he hasn't had that problem anymore
 
scottatwittenberg said:
so i set him up with a router, sp2, spybot/adaware set to run once a week automatically, a/v set to run once a week.. and i guess he hasn't had that problem anymore
Click to expand...

On behalf of the rest of the Intenet, we say THANK YOU!
 
scottatwittenberg said:
a guy i used to work with brought his computer into work for me to look at.

he said that comcast wouldn't let him recconnect until he had all the viruses removed.

the thing had xp home with absolutely no updates on it. expired trial a/v. he just plugged the computer into the cable modem via USB and went to town.. i pulled the hard drive and scanned it with another computer.. and after a few hours of watching the a/v program tell me every file on the computer was infected i just asked him what files he needed off of there, copied them, and reformatted.

his computer was being used as some kind of relay to host fake music/movies/porn on p2p networks.

so i set him up with a router, sp2, spybot/adaware set to run once a week automatically, a/v set to run once a week.. and i guess he hasn't had that problem anymore
Click to expand...

I hope you also educate him on safe internet use ?? This alone help much more than software tools.
 
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