this post was submitted on 11 Oct 2023
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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Home networks are full of trash like iot devices, like smart speakers, tvs, plugs, etc. Average people should have firewalls. It’s free.
If you genuinely wish to isolate those devices the correct way to do it is not with client firewalls but with a Smart Switch and vlans
You may want them to communicate with each other to control them. Also setting up a vlan is quite complex for most users even if it has clear upsides.
Man, I should do this one of these days.
if you have set up your whole home like being bugged you'll not gain much from a firewall in the most secure of devices among them.
Sure you will, the literal point of a firewall is to isolate trusted and untrusted devices.
my point was that at this point, you have more serious problems than first securing the device which by default is the most secure one among them. I mean it needs much more expertise and targeted attack for someone to break into your local network, and then manage to break into your linux machine, which by default is quite secure regardless, compared to the effort that is required to find unsecured IOT devices and get the data they happily share open in the wild.
If your home network is bugged with microphones and cameras without any proper security measures, adding a firewall in a linux laptop shouldn't be your priority. In contrary it is "dangerous" as a non tech savvy person may think that they are more "secure" now, while in fact they have added zero protection to all the sensitive data that they give in the surveillance devices they willingly put in their home.
This is all true… but a firewall takes no effort. It is the default on many OSes. Why not.
this whole thread is literally asking for people to put effort to collectivelly write a huge ass complete guide about linux firewalls targeting new users. So what I understand is that both the authors and the readers will have to put effort in either explaining or understanding and learning. We are not talking about a
sudo apt install gufwand call it a day.You can write a guide about anything. It really is simple in the common case.