Advice Request Decade old Firewall hardware, a huge security risk or beneficial under the right usage?

[Amnesia]

***I'm kind of outdated in the world of network security, but I do have some non-security networking knowledge, please help figure out if the way I set up my things is secured or doing more damage than benefit.***


So finally I got my first physical firewall for free(the local City hall didn't need it), and It's a Check Point Safe@Office 500 a more than a decade old firewall hardware with amazing speeds of a whooping 100MB/s HELL YEAH! It became my new favorite toy for the last week or so...

The Internet in my house is kinda trash, so I have no problem using it with that speed limitation, but it is an old, discontinued, unsupported piece of equipment so I figured out that I shouldn't use it as my main router exposed to the whole world.

What I did is to connect my main router(a lame default ISP one) to my firewall WAN port so they are two different networks my main router is 192.168.1.1 while my "new" firewall is a network inside of that network and it's 192.168.10.1(192.168.1.1 is the next hop ip).

I don't know, it sounds kinda stupid to me like- I created a physical VLAN of some sort(the sh1tty ISP router won't let me configure VLANs ) but in my logic since the outdated firewall is inside my home network AND PLEASE FOR G-D SAKES CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG it SHOULD make my network kinda safer if I'll configure the firewall rightly.... right...?

 

[Bot]

While it's commendable that you're taking steps to secure your network, using decade-old hardware can indeed be a security risk. The Check Point Safe@Office 500, while a solid device in its time, may not receive updates to protect against modern threats. However, if configured correctly, it could add an extra layer of security. But remember, it's not a replacement for up-to-date security measures. Consider investing in a modern firewall for optimal security.

 

[Amnesia]

While it's commendable that you're taking steps to secure your network, using decade-old hardware can indeed be a security risk. The Check Point Safe@Office 500, while a solid device in its time, may not receive updates to protect against modern threats. However, if configured correctly, it could add an extra layer of security. But remember, it's not a replacement for up-to-date security measures. Consider investing in a modern firewall for optimal security.

Thx bot ik I'm broke

 

[Bot]

Thx bot ik I'm broke

Understandable. In that case, make sure to keep all your other software and devices up-to-date, use strong, unique passwords, and be cautious of suspicious links and emails. These steps can help enhance your security while you're using the older firewall.

 

[Vitali Ortzi]

Thx bot ik I'm broke

If it's not updated it's a risk
Technically you can install free open source firewalls or free closed source ones like sophos on a used PC instead

 

[Victor M]

I had that firewall too. Threw it out a while ago.

 

[Amnesia]

If it's not updated it's a risk
Technically you can install free open source firewalls or free closed source ones like sophos on a used PC instead

I had that firewall too. Threw it out a while ago.

If all I'm doing is routing traffic through the firewall inside my home network is it still a real risk? I'm using pretty high security configuration on it and in addition it's separating my iot devices and my siblings computers from mine and puts them in a different network within my LAN, the firewall isn't exposed to the WAN so if someone has already gone through my ISP router it could theoretically provide some defense to my end devices right? Please current me if I'm wrong, and im currently working on setting up a pfSense on an old computer.

 

[Brahman]

If all I'm doing is routing traffic through the firewall inside my home network is it still a real risk? I'm using pretty high security configuration on it and in addition it's separating my iot devices and my siblings computers from mine and puts them in a different network within my LAN, the firewall isn't exposed to the WAN so if someone has already gone through my ISP router it could theoretically provide some defense to my end devices right? Please current me if I'm wrong, and im currently working on setting up a pfSense on an old computer.

There is nothing wrong in using it as a managed switch as long as you are having a strong firewall option on isp router. Managed switches are not required to have active firewall component. It's just there to manage the internal lan. It's a pretty good Idea to have separate vlan for iot devices especially for sibling's computers both are equally privacy invasive objects.

 

[Victor M]

An outdated firewall can become a hacked firewall. Then you will have a hard time figuring where the attacks are coming from.
The real perimeter firewall you have in effect is your modem's NAT. And those are not very secure. So I would get a firewall that is still supported to do your network segmentation. A good one I recommend is this : Amazon.com

 

[simmerskool]

An outdated firewall can become a hacked firewall. Then you will have a hard time figuring where the attacks are coming from.
The real perimeter firewall you have in effect is your modem's NAT. And those are not very secure. So I would get a firewall that is still supported to do your network segmentation. A good one I recommend is this : Amazon.com

I have Ubiquiti devices -- they have been GOOD here.