Re: Laptop, wi-fi, VPN, no firewall -- what's safe?

[Dan <dan27649@xxxxxxxxx>]

On 5/25/06, David Gibbs <david@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Dan wrote:
> > I am using a company-issued laptop that has Contivity VPN Client
> installed.
> > I had my first Wi-Fi experience last night (at a microbrewery watching
> > Tigers baseball! Yeah!); the connection was "unsecured".  Was I
> "vulnerable"
> > while I was connnected through the VPN client?  It seems to me that the
> VPN
> > only protects the company network, but doesn't necessarily protect
> anything
> > on my laptop.
>
> Correct ... the connection through the vpn to your company network is
> secure ... but your laptop in general was not safe.  Without a firewall,
> any public shares on the laptop were exposed to people who might want to
> browse them.


The C: drive has a public share, but all folders in the root directory
except for \Windows has sharing turned off.  The \Windows folder has a share
named $ADM for "remote admin".  So that would appear that everything except
the Windows folder is safe from intrusion.  Hmmm.

Also, if you are running an unpatched OS, there may be
> vulnerabilities hidden in services that you may not be aware are
> actually running.


SP2 and all subsequent updates installed.

At bare minimum I would recommend getting the windows firewall turned
> on.  It provides some basic protections from external attack.
> <snip>
> And, of course, make sure your anti-virus product is installed, active,
> and current.


The network support gurus are looking into getting the Symantec firewall
installed.  Already have Symantec AV installed.  Updates and scans run on a
schedule.

Mike: I intentionally avoided checking email for just the reason you
suggested.

Thanks for the replies, gents.

- Dan