Date: Mon, 17 Nov 2003 16:42:20 -0800 (PST) From: Jon Cavalier <skyliner306@yahoo.com> To: freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Beginner Security Question Message-ID: <20031118004220.41827.qmail@web13605.mail.yahoo.com>
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hello, after lots of research and configuration, i finally have a freebsd box with a comfortable custom interface, lots of multimedia bells and whistles, and shortcuts to all of my most-used applications. i'm still fumbling with text, in that i haven't found a way to cut and paste from one terminal window to another (i would welcome any suggestions as to how to implement this, if it's even possible). but for the most part i can do everything i could do with my win and mac machines before i started on this enlighting bsd journey, quite reliably. so now my question is, since i haven't really crossed the next bridge which is to familiarize myself fully with the security aspects of freebsd.. is this thing safe? what i mean is, how does the security of a stock freebsd 4.7 install and xfree86, using dhcp to access the internet compare with say a stock windows or mac computer? i'd like to start enjoying mozilla, irc, etc., but since i've used this machine for development only, i'm curious how it stands up. can i leave my machine online while i go to work, without someone easily popping in and planting a rootkit? i'm already aware of programs like tripwire, nessus, and nmap, which came to me highly recommended, but i'm just not there yet with the configuration. i'm also behind a basic $40 router firewall so i'm guessing that i probably don't have much more to worry about than most average pc users do (probably a lot LESS giving the incessant patching i've had to do with my xp box). i'd be grateful for any information or experiences you can share. thanks in advance, j __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Protect your identity with Yahoo! Mail AddressGuard http://antispam.yahoo.com/whatsnewfree
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