In the words of the starlet, I try to be cynical [read paranoid]
about security, but I just can't keep up.
I do some of my email and all of my Gmane activity (including
this list) at the address above, from my local access provider, Comcast;
but I do most of my email (and my wife does all of hers) at my own
domain, to which we connect by ssh.
Recently we've been moving machines about physically, from floor
to floor and connection to connection. We've also been getting lots of
timeouts. When I asked my domain host about it, he told me it was my own
firewall cutting us off. It blocks connections out from our IP address
if they fail more than it likes.
I read -- no, I study, hard -- whatever security news comes
across lists and sites I follow; I usually think I understand, more or
less, what the hazard is. I think so this time. It seems the current
default firewall is harder-nosed about failures to connect than it was;
afaict, *we* are doing little if anything different.
But in all my years running Linux (since RedHat 7), I have not
become savvy about writing nor editing code, any more than I've become a
motor mechanic by driving (since about 1955 or so). I understand that it
is necessary to throttle any malware that might try to call home; so I
shouldn't just comment out whatever does the blocking, even if I knew
where it was.
So, I THINK, I ought to enlarge a/o lubricate the opening in the
firewall that lets US out, but not make it any easier than I can help for
supposed malware to get out. Does that make sense?
If so, where do I go (i.e., what file do I open), and what
changes do I make, to accomplish that?
--
Beartooth Codger, Not Quite Clueless
Remember I know little (precious little!)
of which way is up.