In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> you write:
> Does anyone know of a DOS program that is supposed to work
> like the "Norton Internet Security" program? From what I
> have read about Norton Internet Security, the program
> notifies you of an intrusion attempt. It would be very nice
> to have a similar program that will work on a DOS system.
> Maybe a program like this would require a multi-tasking OS.
> Also it might require you to install some kind of firewall
> protection.
No, there is no need for one. In DOS you won't have anything which will
react to an attack so it will always fail. If you just want to know what
was attempted, the program in use needs to log "unknown" port probes.
It's not hard to code, but that code takes time and space. The only DOS
program I'm aware of which can log them is YAN, but that does do it's
own multitasking. Incidentally, if the ISPs I use in the UK are any
guide, port blocking is becoming the norm. Six months ago it was routine
to see a dozen different ports probed in session, but the last few days
have only thrown up port 80 under attack which is probably down to Code
Red.
One of the glories of DOS is that it is very hard to attack because the
targets which might be attacked (every net access setup has them, but
few (none ?) DOS programs would ever run any sort of "payload") are not
standard to all DOS installations, there aren't many such installations
and the numbers aren't rising. The bigger the market, the greater the
reward and the DOS market is small so the payoff wouldn't be worth the
effort.
The same logic increasingly holds for file/boot virii which are the only
threat to DOS (I still use Tbav, for it's incredible speed, as my AV
tripwire - it no longer knows what has hit it and it can't fix it, but
it always notices).
If you use DOS and, to a slightly lesser extent, Win3.x, you are
permitted a smug grin whenever you read about net trojans/worms,
macro/script virii and suchlike nonsense (OS/2 users can fall about
laughing :). Be happy that you don't use mass market software because
that *will* be attacked and a large number of such attacks *will* be
successful. That holds for *all* mass market software, so if Linux, or
whatever the latest fad is, ever reaches the mass market, it'll roll
over like all the rest.
Alex.
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____________________________ _______________________________
( Alex Venn ) ( Success has many fathers, )
(_) [EMAIL PROTECTED] (____) but failure is an orphan. (_)
