Comments on: Secure your Linux box with MoBlock http://www.linuxuser.co.uk/tutorials/secure-with-moblock/ Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:04:08 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: John http://www.linuxuser.co.uk/tutorials/secure-with-moblock/comment-page-1/#comment-60880 John Sat, 03 Dec 2011 00:45:01 +0000 http://www.linuxuser.co.uk/?p=977#comment-60880 Ok Daniel, Let me point out to you where your going wrong with your logic. 1. To create the ip tables and access control lists your way takes tons of time and wastes company money when there are many other jobs that have to be gotten done in the day. Your looking at the good ol days as the better days. Thats far from the truth. It was the costly and time consuming days. Thats why tools like this were created,to make the job easier and less costly. 2. Your way is prone to error. Forget one thing, one careless key stroke, and your firewall configuration can become useless or error-ed. Thats not going to happen with mobloquer unless you unblock the wrong address in the log window or manually add a hazardous exception. 3. Are you really going to scan the net looking for specific places to implicitly deny? Mobloquer updates dangerous site lists daily from TONS of sources. Other people do that work for you for free. 4. Don't you think it a bit passe' to be an elitist Linux snob who calls people names because they have a different way of doing thing in this day in age? I have been using Linux since Red Hat 5 and I love helping people learn, use, and support Linux and never once did I ever close my mind to a better faster easier way of doing things, and would never be insulting to those that got the same exact job done better and faster. Those who get it done better and faster are the kind of people I hire in my IT department. Ok Daniel, Let me point out to you where your going wrong with your logic.
1. To create the ip tables and access control lists your way takes tons of time and wastes company money when there are many other jobs that have to be gotten done in the day. Your looking at the good ol days as the better days. Thats far from the truth. It was the costly and time consuming days. Thats why tools like this were created,to make the job easier and less costly.
2. Your way is prone to error. Forget one thing, one careless key stroke, and your firewall configuration can become useless or error-ed. Thats not going to happen with mobloquer unless you unblock the wrong
address in the log window or manually add a hazardous exception.
3. Are you really going to scan the net looking for specific places to implicitly deny? Mobloquer updates dangerous site lists daily from TONS of sources. Other people do that work for you for free.
4. Don’t you think it a bit passe’ to be an elitist Linux snob who calls people names because they have a different way of doing thing in this day in age? I have been using Linux since Red Hat 5 and I love helping people learn, use, and support Linux and never once did I ever close my mind to a better faster easier way of doing things, and would never be insulting to those that got the same exact job done better and faster. Those who get it done better and faster are the kind of people I hire in my IT department.

]]> By: Jim http://www.linuxuser.co.uk/tutorials/secure-with-moblock/comment-page-1/#comment-2707 Jim Tue, 23 Feb 2010 03:31:34 +0000 http://www.linuxuser.co.uk/?p=977#comment-2707 Really the lazy way. I would say the smart way. It's like saying using a pre-built OS (ubunto or many other versions of linux) is lazy. No it is not re-inventing the wheel. It is using what has been made and then making it for you. I don't see what is wrong with that. Really the lazy way. I would say the smart way. It’s like saying using a pre-built OS (ubunto or many other versions of linux) is lazy. No it is not re-inventing the wheel. It is using what has been made and then making it for you. I don’t see what is wrong with that.

]]> By: Daniel http://www.linuxuser.co.uk/tutorials/secure-with-moblock/comment-page-1/#comment-2650 Daniel Thu, 18 Feb 2010 23:33:23 +0000 http://www.linuxuser.co.uk/?p=977#comment-2650 This can all be done perfectly using iptables and the hosts.deny and hosts.allow files. MoBlock is the lazy artless way of going about it. This can all be done perfectly using iptables and the hosts.deny and hosts.allow files. MoBlock is the lazy artless way of going about it.

]]> By: zoopster http://www.linuxuser.co.uk/tutorials/secure-with-moblock/comment-page-1/#comment-2640 zoopster Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:48:34 +0000 http://www.linuxuser.co.uk/?p=977#comment-2640 Oh geez...don't bother going through all of the key adding etc when using a PPA on Launchpad. You are using Ubuntu 9.10, right? Simply use: sudo add-apt-repository ppa:jre-phoenix/ppa && sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install moblock blockcontrol mobloquer and you are done! Oh geez…don’t bother going through all of the key adding etc when using a PPA on Launchpad.

You are using Ubuntu 9.10, right?

Simply use:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:jre-phoenix/ppa && sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install moblock blockcontrol mobloquer

and you are done!

]]> By: trench http://www.linuxuser.co.uk/tutorials/secure-with-moblock/comment-page-1/#comment-2617 trench Wed, 17 Feb 2010 10:08:50 +0000 http://www.linuxuser.co.uk/?p=977#comment-2617 I've been using it for over a year. It's definitely something I'd consider an absolute must-have for any Linux set-up. When you first start using it there are a couple things to keep in-mind. First, if you have trouble connecting to ANYthing, check the logs to see if Moblock is the culprit (95% of the time, it is). The first thing most users will notice is that their Pidgin/Empathy/IMclientOfChoice stops working. The log will list the IP's and info about the IP's, so just whitelist them if need be. It's really a very strong utility and will block pretty much everything until you tell it to do otherwise. Second, I love using an xterm for just about everything I do, however... Mobloquer is so amazingly good that I rarely touch MoBlock in a terminal. I'm willing to bet most users will feel the same. So, I suggest the first thing you do after installing Mobloquer is: THROW IT IN YOUR STARTUP MENU. Obviously this isn't necessary given MoBlock starts on its own... but MOBLOQUER is a very handy thing to have hanging out in your system tray. Especially if you are trying to connect to something and failing... the startup icon serves as a geat reminder (slap to the forehead | d'oh) that, indeed, MoBlock is probably the cause. Again, definitely in my top-10 installs. Couldn't be more highly recommended. Good writeup, Sukrit. I’ve been using it for over a year. It’s definitely something I’d consider an absolute must-have for any Linux set-up. When you first start using it there are a couple things to keep in-mind.

First, if you have trouble connecting to ANYthing, check the logs to see if Moblock is the culprit (95% of the time, it is). The first thing most users will notice is that their Pidgin/Empathy/IMclientOfChoice stops working. The log will list the IP’s and info about the IP’s, so just whitelist them if need be. It’s really a very strong utility and will block pretty much everything until you tell it to do otherwise.

Second, I love using an xterm for just about everything I do, however… Mobloquer is so amazingly good that I rarely touch MoBlock in a terminal. I’m willing to bet most users will feel the same. So, I suggest the first thing you do after installing Mobloquer is: THROW IT IN YOUR STARTUP MENU. Obviously this isn’t necessary given MoBlock starts on its own… but MOBLOQUER is a very handy thing to have hanging out in your system tray. Especially if you are trying to connect to something and failing… the startup icon serves as a geat reminder (slap to the forehead | d’oh) that, indeed, MoBlock is probably the cause.

Again, definitely in my top-10 installs. Couldn’t be more highly recommended.

Good writeup, Sukrit.

]]> By: dakira http://www.linuxuser.co.uk/tutorials/secure-with-moblock/comment-page-1/#comment-2608 dakira Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:00:44 +0000 http://www.linuxuser.co.uk/?p=977#comment-2608 May I suggest iplist? It is easy to install (just download and start the GUI) and use and it is not out of development. http://iplist.sourceforge.net/ May I suggest iplist? It is easy to install (just download and start the GUI) and use and it is not out of development.
http://iplist.sourceforge.net/

]]> By: CoreyB http://www.linuxuser.co.uk/tutorials/secure-with-moblock/comment-page-1/#comment-2605 CoreyB Tue, 16 Feb 2010 18:17:58 +0000 http://www.linuxuser.co.uk/?p=977#comment-2605 Doesn't iplist do the same thing? http://iplist.sourceforge.net/ Doesn’t iplist do the same thing?
http://iplist.sourceforge.net/

]]> By: QT http://www.linuxuser.co.uk/tutorials/secure-with-moblock/comment-page-1/#comment-2603 QT Tue, 16 Feb 2010 17:15:09 +0000 http://www.linuxuser.co.uk/?p=977#comment-2603 thanks, helpful thanks, helpful

]]> By: cory http://www.linuxuser.co.uk/tutorials/secure-with-moblock/comment-page-1/#comment-2534 cory Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:01:48 +0000 http://www.linuxuser.co.uk/?p=977#comment-2534 The great thing about moblock is it allows outgoing http so you can browse with it running(unlike pg2). Also go to iblocklist.com for all the lists you'll ever need. The great thing about moblock is it allows outgoing http so you can browse with it running(unlike pg2).

Also go to iblocklist.com for all the lists you’ll ever need.

]]>