Linux Dummies 9th

Chapter 19: A Secure Linux Box Is a Happy Linux Box
359
Figure 19-3:
The Fedora
Firewall
Configuration
dialog
box.
The Firewall Configuration window offers settings you can use to specify
your firewall options easily. At the top is a toolbar that contains some quick
actions you can take. You can even (for example) enable or disable the entire
firewall feature by clicking the Enable or Disable icon, respectively, on the
toolbar. If your computer is connected directly to the Internet — as most
computers are these days — make sure you use Enable Firewall.
The only time not to have the Fedora firewall active is when you’ve already
set up your machine(s) behind another strong firewall, or when you’re using
a critical application that won’t work with the Fedora firewall in place. For
just one application, though, that’s one huge risk! You can find out how to
open the proper doors in the firewall for that one program instead.
The Wizard icon on the toolbar provides a guided way to configure your
system. It asks a few simple questions about your system and your network
skill level, and then it provides options for setting your firewall features.
Beneath the toolbar is an area where you can configure specific firewall features
manually. The left-side pane provides options for the following types of
settings:
✓ Trusted Services: Allow or deny access on ports for common network
applications, such as FTP (file transfers), HTTP (Web server), and SSH
(secure interactive server).
✓ Other Ports: Allow or deny access on custom network ports for specific
installed applications.
✓ Trusted Interfaces: Allow access based on an interface on a trusted
network.