Are There any Linux Users on This Site?

Oh yeah windows is becoming a bit like apple now with strict hardware requirements and I understand the reasons but if they become too strict like apple … I might do the unthinkable and switch to apple products.

@Seeking-Christ whats your main firewall behind the isp? I use pfsense. I also saw that you play around with pen testing. I have enterprise software for that but if you want a solid free one that’s been around for years use shields up https://www.grc.com/shieldsup

It will tell you is you have any visible ports on the internet. Run an all service ports scan.

I never did any pen testing. But I booted into a pen testing distro. I wanted to buy something to put pfsense on it. But I never got around to it. All I have done with pfsense was install it into a virtual box. I probably don't have a good firewall. I have a firewall in the ISP Modem, and I have secondary router made by ASUS, which has a firewall. Then I use the firewall on my OSes.

@Eli1

I ran the test from the website link, you gave me.

Here is the message that I received.

THE EQUIPMENT AT THE TARGET IP ADDRESS
DID NOT RESPOND TO OUR UPnP PROBES!
(That's good news!)

Hey @Seeking-Christ !
So, what you did there was one test. The upnp test which basically shows if you have any Xboxes visible to the internet or something else which used plug and play.
What you want to do is an all service port test like shown below:



After you do the test, the ideal result should look like this:




This should give you some preliminary results of how good your firewall is and it sounds like it’s pretty good from what you described.
Also if you have any issues with coverage in your house, try the orbi systems from netgear. They use a mesh Wi-Fi system for superb coverage and speed.
https://www.netgear.com/ca-en/home/wifi/mesh/
If interested we can talk more details.


So regarding Linux, can it be deployed in unattended mode? For example I can customize windows to install with certain configurations and settings and I can install all apps customized and pre-loaded with all configurations. So what could be a 2-3 hours ordeal, it’s basically turned into a 30 minute install.
Can you do this with Linux?

You also mentioned virtual machines. I use VMware workstation which also includes a virtual tpm chip to test around with encryption.

Also, do you use any NAS products in your LAN?

I don't know why they make tech websites so weird. Often when I go to them, I got no idea what to click on.

You should be happy, mine failed.

Ping Reply: RECEIVED (FAILED) — Your system REPLIED to our Ping (ICMP Echo) requests, making it visible on the Internet. Most personal firewalls can be configured to block, drop, and ignore such ping requests in order to better hide systems from hackers. This is highly recommended since "Ping" is among the oldest and most common methods used to locate systems prior to further exploitation.

^I got no idea how to fix that.

Okay so this is pretty good because none of your ports are open and that’s very important.
Ping is basically “you exist online”. But so what? They can ping all day long because none of your ports are open.
You have a pretty good firewall Basically.

In my routers I can turn the firewalls up higher. But the reason why I keep it where it is, is because back in the day, I used to run it as high as it goes, and I couldn't do something online that i needed to do, because it was blocking it.

Yes that it true, if you crank it up to High you will be blocked from browsing the web.
Also if you don’t want your isp to know what you‘re browsing then set a custom dns in your asus router such as cloud flare or google.
‘I have both. I have cloudflare as primary and google as secondary.
‘With pfsense you can further restrict your isp from watching but the fact that you have have an asus router behind their router/modem gives you some privacy by default because you don’t allow them to see the devices in your network.

This is stuff that I can't completely answer.

You got to remember that even though people refer to Linux as an operating system, it is not an operating system, it is only part of the OS. There are hundreds of different Linux based OSes. I don't believe that you can easily do everything on one Linux OS in the same way you can do on another Linux OS. With that being said, I'm the wrong guy to ask. I don't do apps customized and pre-loaded when I install. I just install the OS and then add my stuff. It can be a long process, depending on how my apps you need to add. Some Linux systems might come with everything you want right out of the box!

To better answer your question you might try askng it in these forums:
http://www.linuxquestions.org

Do I have any NAS products on my LAN?
I'm going to say no... BUT, one of my routers does allow you to attach a USB flash drive and access it. I don't do this, but it can be done.

I used cleanbrowsing DNS because it helps me block porn and malware.

That’s cool. If you want to geek out more with this stuff let me know because I love geeking out.
I actually vpn into my network from my phone so I can use the ad-filtering and porn-filtering software in my network and my pages load 50% faster because I don’t see ads.
‘But on some sites they detect that you’re blocking ads so they don’t allow you to read an article. So it’s a fine balance between filtering and usability.

Also I don’t know what kind of digital library you have but I have 2 asus nas devices in my lan. One backs up onto the other and I keep one at work and one at home. Why? Because my geek training kicks in and tells me to keep all my data into 2 different geographical locations in case of disaster such as fire etc.
Both are encrypted and locked down.
https://www.asustor.com/en/

I vpn into my network anytime I want to see family pictures or get any customized ISO files or simply to browse the web For faster page loading And more privacy.
I have years of family pictures in the nas. I also spent a year converting all old vhs tapes into digital and scanning old photographs of my family, my parents and my grandparents and turned them all digital. It’s so much better because nobody looks at actual printouts anymore. My parents love it too when they see their old pictures on their iPads.
‘And their network has a constant vpn connection to mine.

Also another term that’s very popular is the term “dark web” and it makes me laugh because it’s the same web but it’s sort of like a bad neighborhood …. Like Chicago, and every isp and search engine avoids it

I also have an IOT network which is segregated from my LAN where all the “smart” devices like fridges, microwaves, stoves , lighbulbs, light switches, cameras and window and door sensors communicate via an Apple TV hub So I can check all of this from my phone.
Ok I’ll stop now

I just store my stuff on external hard drives, and keep backups. So I guess I don't need a NAS.

Time to refresh this discussion, folks. I'm a Linux user myself. I've been using it for a while now, and I love the flexibility and customizability it offers. By the way, if you're still running CentOS 7, you should know that it's reached its End of Life Support. But no worries, you can check out some extended support options at https://tuxcare.com/extended-lifecycle-support/centos-7-extended-support/. Anyway, let's keep this thread updated, folks. Are you still on Linux?

If you wanna live like the Amish go with Linux.
If you wanna live large then go with Windows.


These are important earthly matters.