Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Ask Slashdot: Which Is the Safest Router?

Posted by BeauHD on from the safety-first dept.

MindPrison writes: As ashamed as I am to admit it -- a longtime computer user since the Commodore heydays, I've been hacked twice recently and that has seriously made me rethink my options for my safety and well-being. So, I ask you dear Slashdot users, from one fellow longtime Slashdotter to another: which is the best router for optimal safety today?

4 of 386 comments (clear)

  1. Any router... by hcs_$reboot · · Score: 4, Interesting

    ...as long as you put OpenWrt on it.

    --
    Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
  2. pfSense on WANBOX by MikeDataLink · · Score: 4, Interesting

    pfSense running on WANBOX...

    pfSense because its open source and free and "just works". WANBOX, because its reliable and supports AES-NI crypto onboard.

    --
    Mike @ The Geek Pub. Let's Make Stuff!
  3. Barking up the wrong tree? by danlor · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Unless you are talking about your netgear or dlink box getting back doored, I think you are looking in the wrong places.

    Any NAT device is sufficient.
    Patch all your stuff
    Don't download crap
    Don't execute the crap you download
    Don't play web games
    Don't use internet explorer
    uninstall flash
    uninstall java

    If you are really looking for a good firewall, go grab a little pfsense box from netgate. But I think you have many other places to look at first.

  4. Re: The safest router is... by misnohmer · · Score: 5, Interesting

    A self made/installed Linux box probably the least secure solution for most people. Unless you really know how to secure and lock down your Linux box AND keep it up to date on weekly basis, your "router" is far from secure. There are few people who really know what they're doing in this domain. Just because you can't hack it, doesn't mean it's safe. Misconfiguration is the most common cause for security holes (do you really know each and every piece of software you have running on it, every kernel module, driver, server, etc?), but even if you do manage to lock it down, security vulnerabilities in Linux and other open source software that Linux uses are discovered all the time and need to be patched fast as scripts exploiting them come just as fast. It's a full time job to keep a Linux box secured on the open internet.