With firewall rules finally on the box, I went back to the guest VLAN I’d set out to build. I isolated it cleanly from every other subnet, tested it, and shipped it. Then I realized guests could still walk right up to the router’s own admin page. The same blind spot from last time, pointed inward.
I sat down to do a routine bit of network segmentation and instead found my router had been sitting on a public IP with SSH and its admin GUI open to the internet, no firewall rules at all. A lesson in the difference between ‘working’ and ‘secure.’
Advantages of Hosting My Own Network Services Trusting my network security and services to my Internet Service Provider (ISP) offers convenience through their Domain Name System (DNS) services and simplified network management. Additionally, third-party Virtual Private Network (VPN) providers like ExpressVPN offer critical traffic encryption, especially when using public networks such as those in coffee shops and airports. However, relying on my ISP and a third-party VPN provider raises concerns: ...
Introduction and Motivations In 2021, I was incredibly excited to move into a networked home with hardwired network drops that offered a couple of advantages. First, I can provide better content delivery to TVs, gaming consoles, and computers with hardwired connections. Second, I can provide blackout-proof power to wireless access points by using Power over Ethernet. Selfishly, I also used the move as a catalyst to “Cosplay as a Sysadmin,” as Jeff Geerling puts it. After some research, purchases, and several hours of setup, I’ve been able to implement some practical, quality-of-life-improving solutions that I use on a daily basis, including home automation, content streaming, and network administration. I’ll be publishing a number of blog posts that go into detail about how I designed my home network, what I’ve learned, and the challenges I faced along the way. I hope you continue reading to follow along. ...