59% of dweebs suffer from 'False Authority Syndrome (Re: If you have nothing to hide)

2002-08-09 Thread Len Rose



(warning, not for the humor impaired)

In the interest of spewing even more non-op traffic on this list,
see 59% of dweebs suffer from 'False Authority Syndrome at
http://vmyths.com/rant.cfm?id=501page=4 and make sure you listen
to the mp3 version, it's so much better than the written words.
(it's hilarious actually)

It's particularly apt for these so-called-experts spreading all
the FUD trying to turn a national tragedy into either shameless
self promotion (Hello everyone who attended Defcon), or who want
to use that as an agenda to take over the internet.. (yeah, right
turn an  M$ computer security expert into a White House security 
expert, hahahah)

Len




Re: If you have nothing to hide

2002-08-09 Thread gg


Tickle me contradicted, my apologies for doubting whomever it was
(it is late, and I'm too tired and lazy to check)

dragon -

No apologies needed..

Gerardo Gregory

- Original Message - 
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: Steven M. Bellovin [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Thursday, August 08, 2002 10:51 PM
Subject: Re: If you have nothing to hide


 
  See section 3.2.1.8c of RFC 1122:
  
 snip
   processing).  This recorded route will be reversed and
   used to form a return source route for reply datagrams
   (see discussion of IP Options in Section 4).  When a
 snip
  
  --Steve Bellovin, http://www.research.att.com/~smb (me)
  http://www.wilyhacker.com (Firewalls book)
 
 Tickle me contradicted, my apologies for doubting whomever it was
 (it is late, and I'm too tired and lazy to check)
 




[lamour@mail.argfrp.us.uu.net: Fwd: Re: If you have nothing to hide]

2002-08-08 Thread Todd MacDermid


In message [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
et writes:

I was not aware that responses to source-routed packets were themselves
source-routed. I also don't believe it is the case, but am open to being
contradicted. If the responses aren't source-routed, then the packets would
only return through your network if your network was the path back to the
spoofed source.

A friend of mine directed me to this thread. Source routed packets
can indeed be used to spoof IP connections, and I've written a tool
to do it. It's available at http://www.synacklabs.net/projects/lsrtunnel

If you simply want to check host behaviour to see if you can spoof
connections, I've written a scanner at
http://www.synacklabs.net/projects/lsrscan

Short story is Solaris  8 will reverse source routes by default, and
Windows boxes will reverse source routes by default. The BSDs and
Linuces I've tested mostly block source routed packets by default.

Todd




Re: If you have nothing to hide

2002-08-08 Thread bdragon


 See section 3.2.1.8c of RFC 1122:
 
snip
  processing).  This recorded route will be reversed and
  used to form a return source route for reply datagrams
  (see discussion of IP Options in Section 4).  When a
snip
 
   --Steve Bellovin, http://www.research.att.com/~smb (me)
   http://www.wilyhacker.com (Firewalls book)

Tickle me contradicted, my apologies for doubting whomever it was
(it is late, and I'm too tired and lazy to check)




Re: If you have nothing to hide

2002-08-04 Thread Paul Vixie


[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Sean Donelan) writes:

   ISPs to step up
Internet service providers also have to be more security conscious,
Clarke said. By selling broadband connectivity to home users without
making security a priority, telecommunications companies, cable
providers and ISPs have not only opened the nation's homes to attack,
but also created a host of computers with fast connections that have
hardly any security.
 
 Public network operators are very security conscious, about the
 public network operators network.  Should public network operators do
 things, common in private corporate networks, such as block access to
 Hotmail, Instant Messenger, Peer-to-peer file sharing, and other
 potentially risky activities?  Should it be official government policy
 for public network operators to prohibit customers from running their own
 servers by blocking access with firewalls?

Don't dismiss this concern.  We know why multipath (core) RPF is hard and
why most BGP speakers don't do it yet.  But unipath (edge) RPF has been easy
for five years and possible for ten, and yet it is in use almost nowhere.

The blame for that lays squarely, 100%, no excuses, with the edge ISP's.
Whether Microsoft or the rest of the people CERT has named over the years
with various buffer overflows are also to blame for making hosts vulnerable
is debatable.  But whether edge ISP's are grossly negligent for not doing
edge RPF since at least 1996 is not debatable.  Cut Mr. Clark *that* slack,
even if you must (righteously, I might add) blast him on other issues.
-- 
Paul Vixie



Re: If you have nothing to hide

2002-08-04 Thread Sean Donelan


I encourage network operators (or IX operators, DNS operators, etc) to let
the government know what you think.  Mr. Clarke's crew is writing the
plan, and taking input from many sources.  If you think RPF (or some other
source address validation) is a solution let them know.  If you think
S-BGP is a solution, let them know.  If you think network operator managed
firewalls on every DSL/Cable modem is a solution, let them know. On the
other hand, if to think some of those things are not a solution (or a
really bad idea), tell them that.

I have my opinion, and I've told the government what I think.  But I'm
certainly not smart enough to get everything right (or even most things
right).  Its not a matter of cutting Mr. Clark some slack, but getting
good information from (many?) network operators.

On 4 Aug 2002, Paul Vixie wrote:
 Don't dismiss this concern.  We know why multipath (core) RPF is hard and
 why most BGP speakers don't do it yet.  But unipath (edge) RPF has been easy
 for five years and possible for ten, and yet it is in use almost nowhere.

 The blame for that lays squarely, 100%, no excuses, with the edge ISP's.
 Whether Microsoft or the rest of the people CERT has named over the years
 with various buffer overflows are also to blame for making hosts vulnerable
 is debatable.  But whether edge ISP's are grossly negligent for not doing
 edge RPF since at least 1996 is not debatable.  Cut Mr. Clark *that* slack,
 even if you must (righteously, I might add) blast him on other issues.




Re: If you have nothing to hide

2002-08-04 Thread Dave Crocker


At 06:31 AM 8/4/2002 -0400, Sean Donelan wrote:
I encourage network operators (or IX operators, DNS operators, etc) to let
the government know what you think.  Mr. Clarke's crew is writing the
plan, and taking input from many sources.  If you think RPF (or some other
source address validation) is a solution let them know.  If you think
S-BGP is a solution, let them know.  If you think network operator managed
firewalls on every DSL/Cable modem is a solution, let them know. On the
other hand, if to think some of those things are not a solution (or a
really bad idea), tell them that.

These are technical operations matters.  Seems like there might be some 
benefit in formulating consensus views within the technical operations 
community.

Any chance that an IETF BCP would be possible and helpful?

Diverse input to a government process can be good for learning about 
choices, but consensus views should be helpful for making them.

d


--
Dave Crocker mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
TribalWise, Inc. http://www.tribalwise.com
tel +1.408.246.8253; fax +1.408.850.1850




If you have nothing to hide

2002-08-03 Thread Sean Donelan


Mr. Clarke has been floating several trail ballons this week.

http://news.com.com/2100-1001-947409.html
  Software makers and Internet service providers must share the blame for
  the nation's vulnerable networks, President Bush's special adviser on
  cyberspace security said Wednesday.

http://www.computerworld.com/mobiletopics/mobile/story/0,10801,73150,00.html
   Why is it that companies have sold products that they know are
   insecure? asked Richard Clarke, President Bush's chief cybersecurity
   adviser. And why is it that people have bought them? We should all
   shut [wireless LANs] off until the technology gets better.

While Mr. Clarke was identifying groups to blame for the current state
of affairs, he seems to have left out the group which has historically
blocked many security improvements.

Gee, it seems like just last year the US Government had a policy of
futzing with international standards development to block strong
security (GSM), engaging in expensive legal investigations of people who
wrote things like Pretty Good Privacy, prohibiting companies from
exporting products with strong encryption, and generally making it a PITA
for companies who wanted to make products which were more secure (forcing
security research offshore or to Canada).  Even attempts to include
default encryption in IPv6 hit government policy roadblocks.  Anyone who
tried to make it more difficult to intercept communications was accused of
helping child pornographers, criminals, terrorists and hackers.  The
refrain was if you have nothing to hide, ...

It took decades of government policy to reach this point.  Does Mr.
Clarke's statement signal the end of the government's policy of
maintaining the status quo? If we secure wireless communications, that
means it will be possible for people to communicate without worrying
(excesively) about evesdroppers.  But that security improvement also
means the government may not be able to listen in on those communications
either.  Has the FBI and NSA signed off on this apparent new policy of
securing our networks?

Finally, what role should network operators play in determining what
content subscribers can have access, including unsafe content?

  ISPs to step up
   Internet service providers also have to be more security conscious,
   Clarke said. By selling broadband connectivity to home users without
   making security a priority, telecommunications companies, cable
   providers and ISPs have not only opened the nation's homes to attack,
   but also created a host of computers with fast connections that have
   hardly any security.

Public network operators are very security conscious, about the
public network operators network.  Should public network operators do
things, common in private corporate networks, such as block access to
Hotmail, Instant Messenger, Peer-to-peer file sharing, and other
potentially risky activities?  Should it be official government policy
for public network operators to prohibit customers from running their own
servers by blocking access with firewalls?