Secure kernel version

[snuck]

I have just installed Debian on an old box, with a view to making it a firewall/router. I tried to install it with the bf24 option, but the installation failed, and I decided it was just easier to install it with the 2.2.whatever kernel it defaults with, and then just compile my own 2.4 kernel, than to figure out what was wrong. But now that I have to decide which 2.4 to use, I'm a little lost. So recomendations as to which would be most stable, and secure would be much appreciated.

Thanks, snuck.

[Modorf]

2.4.23

[sharth]

2.4.23, or apt-get install the kernel source rather than getting it from kernel.org...

2.4.22 and below (not including 2.2.x) have a root exploit...

[snuck]

Thanks. Considering I'm on old hardware, and this is only going to be a firewalling a home network, with a few family computers, and a few servers am I likely to need IPtables, and if not, is there really any reason in me going for 2.4.23 rather than 2.2.something?

[sharth]

if you want to use iptables for the firewall, than you need to use 2.4.x, if you want to use ipfwdm or ipchains, then feel free to use 2.2.x