Does each client still need a firewall with a router on the LAN?

[Nighthawk69]

Hi there,

I currently run a server as my gateway/router/firewall system and I have an SMC Barricade wireless router sitting here that I will be setting up after I get the USB adapters for my desktop computers. My question is, do I still need to run firewall software on each client computer with the SMC router now being the firewall? Currently, I run ZoneAlarm Pro on each computer because it catches a few things that the Sygate firewall on the server apparently lets through.

Suggestions? This is a home LAN, and I know the best security is to run it on each computer, but is it really needed now?

Thanks very much! Happy Holidays!

 

[sml]

While technically your machines are 'hidden' using RFC1918 addresses in a NAT configuration behind your router/firewall device, they can still make outgoing connections to routable addresses, and can obviously still be infected via virus-ridden emails, malicious javascript, etc. Hence, your machines have the capability to become infected, and then make a connection to someplace else [perhaps an IRC server] to be used as a DDoS zombie or for some other malicious activity. I'd recommend placing ZoneAlarm on your workstations since you have it anyways; also, check out www.grisoft.com and get AVG. It's a free Antivirus program with live updates, scan scheduling, integrates tightly with Outlook/Outlook Express and even uses heuristics to catch some virii! very nifty. HTH.

 

[Nighthawk69]

OK, that's what I figured would be best, but I wanted to see what people thought.

Happy Holidays!