[Spambayes] An Ever-Increasing Problem

[Amedee Van Gasse]

Op maandag 04-12-2006 om 12:25 uur [tijdzone -0500], schreef Coe, Bob:

> > >  I also run XP Pro (SP2) Firewall - although I also use a router
> which 
> > > (I'm told) makes a firewall unnecessary.
> > 
> > You were told wrong.
> 
> Maybe and maybe not. Nowadays many routers have built-in firewalls, some
> of which are quite effective. (Assuming, of course, that the router's
> firewall functionality is turned on and correctly configured.)

Like it was written there as an absolute statement "a router makes a
firewall unnecessary", it was an incomplete and therefor false
statement.
Yes, a router *can* have a firewall on board. And yes, most of the
"residential broadband routers" nowadays do have a firewall.
But most of the time, people take a router out of the box and the
bubblewrap, plug it in, and forget about it.
I'm one of the moderators on a forum for the customers of a Belgian
cable ISP, and I have read too much horror stories...

> > Using a router is no excuse for not using a good firewall.
> 
> Right, unless that router *is* a good firewall.

Indeed, but there are too many ifs and maybes. It's better to be sure
than sorry. And a multilayered defense never hurt anyone. It's the same
with spam prevention.

-- 
Amedee Van Gasse
amedee at amedee.be