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How To Install FireStarter in Debian

A High-Level Graphical Interface Iptables Firewall For Linux Systems - FireStarter

Firestarter is an Open Source and easily used firewall application which aims to merge with impressive features and serves both system administrators and desktop users.

Features

  • Excellent Linux kernel tuning features add protection from broadcasting, flooding, and spoofing
  • Internet connection Support sharing with DHCP service for the clients
  • Open and close ports with a few clicks
  • An event monitor module which shows real-time intrusion attempts
  • Suitable for servers, desktops and gateways usage
  • A setup wizard which walks you through setting up firewall on your computer for the first time
  • Friendly graphical interface
  • Open Source application

Installation of FireStarter

On Debian/Ubuntu/Linux Mint

First edit /etc/apt/source.list . Add following line and save.

“ deb http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian wheezy main “

Update the apt.

root@linuxhelp:~# apt-get update
Get:1 http://security.debian.org jessie/updates InRelease [63.1 kB]
Get:2 http://ftp.debian.org jessie-updates InRelease [142 kB]                  
Ign http://ftp.de.debian.org wheezy InRelease                                  
Ign http://mirrors.linode.com jessie InRelease                                 
Get:3 http://ftp.de.debian.org wheezy Release.gpg [2,373 B]                    
.
.                 
Hit http://mirrors.linode.com jessie/non-free Translation-en                   
Hit http://httpredir.debian.org jessie/main Translation-en                     
Hit http://httpredir.debian.org jessie/non-free Translation-en

Run the following command to install firestarter on Debian/Ubuntu/Linux Mint system.

root@linuxhelp:~# apt-get install firestarter
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
The following extra packages will be installed:
  menu
Suggested packages:
  dhcp3-server menu-l10n
.
.
.
Setting up firestarter (1.0.3-11) ...
Processing triggers for systemd (215-17+deb8u3) ...
Processing triggers for menu (2.1.47) ...

To Configure And Use

After installation is completed, use the following command to launch the Firestarter firewall.

root@linuxhelp:~# firestarter

Or go to application search panel, type firestarter and select it.

Now the Fire Starter firewall wizard will be opened, to set up the firewall

In detected devices list, Choose your Internet connected network device and press the Forward button.

Select “ Start firewall now” and click the Save button to start the firewall.

The three pages of the FireStarter firewall are as follows:

Status, Events and Policy.

The first page is the status page, which gives the information about the firewall status, events, network status, and active connections.

The status of the firewall

  • Active status that means it is enabled and working
  • Locked status that means that nothing is permitted inside the firewall
  • Disabled status that means the firewall has been ceased and all connections are accepted

The shortcuts used for changing the status of the FireStarter firewall are,

CTRL+P, to stop the firewall
CTRL+S, to start the firewall

The two parts are :

  • Outbound traffic policy
  • Inbound traffic policy

To permit connections from a host, go to the Policy page and from the drop down menu, choose Inbound Traffic Policy.


Under Allow Connections From Host, Right Click and specify the IP, hostname or network.

Right Click under Allow Service Port and enter your service name to allow service for others in your machine.

FAQ
Q
How the Firestarter supports DHCP?
A
Internet connection Support sharing with DHCP service for the clients in FireStarter.
Q
It is possible to protect broadcasting using FireStarter?
A
Yes, It is possible. Excellent Linux kernel tuning features add protection from broadcasting, flooding, and spoofing
Q
How can I get Firestarter to load automatically when I log in as a regular user?
A
when you start Firestarter by clicking an icon or manually from a terminal, the system will prompt you for your root user's password.
Q
Do I have to start Firestarter after I have rebooted?
A
No, When Firestarter is installed from a package, the firewall is running as a service. You can query the status of the service by executing /etc/init.d/firestarter status.
Q
How to install Firestarter in CentOS7?
A
Follow the commands to download rpm package from its official site and
install using "rpm -Uvh firestarter*rpm"