[SOLVED] general security

[demonskier]

I was wondering what I should do for security. I have been using firestarter (just installed and let it run) but have recently found (due to forum reading) that it is not a firewall in and of itself... imagine my surprise... I am also running moblock with mobloquer. I currently have no antivirus software at all.

What should I do? about the firewall? which lists in mobloquer should I use? and what antivirus software should I use?

btw im running xubuntu

[sonofusion82]

you are right that firestarter is not a firewall by itself. it is just a configuration frontend for iptable which is the firewall built into the kernel.
for anti-virus, well, it is generally a subjective matter. for now and the near future, very little (if any) virus actually target linux. for me, there is no real need for anti-virus.

[hyper_ch]

do you really need to configure a firewall?
do you really need an AV?

I'd say in most cases you won't need either one.

[lisati]

For me, a combo of the defaults for Ubuntu and what came built into my router & ADSL modem are usually sufficient in the firewall department.
As for AV under Linux it's more a matter of courtesy to avoid passing on something nasty to the Windows machines I'm likely to be in contact with. (I run a dual boot Ubuntu & XP machine, and an XP-only machine; my neighbour who shares my internet connection uses NT (I think); and the family members I'm most likely to contact by email use assorted flavours of Windwos)

For the most part, a modicum of good sense combined with keeping a cool head are a good place to start.

[cdenley]

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=765421

[demonskier]

Thank you all that helps a lot