What about DSL? I think it is similar to a PPP connection but havent
seen one yet and am thinking about getting it. Does anybody have good
info about it? Running together with Linux?
Thanks
Fred
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ramon Gandia [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
> Sent: Thursday, February 17, 2000 1:24 PM
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: Re: [expert] Security with cable
>
>
> Axalon Bloodstone wrote:
>
> > it's not different from being on a dialup, your just as open then.
> >
>
> There is a big difference, actually.
>
> On a cable modem, your home computer is part of a large ethernet
> segment. Any user can sniff your packets because everyone's data
> appears on the other user's ethernet port.
>
> A dialup system, however, has a separate router port for every
> dialup. The administrator, or someone upstream of the dialup
> server router can sniff packets, but a USER on another dialup
> cannot. Each dialup port sees only the data routed to it.
>
> To give an example.
>
> Let us say two systems, one dialup and one cable. Both have
> identical POP3 mail servers. Further, the administrator has
> a computer on the same ethernet as the mail server. Question,
> who can see what?
>
> A user checks mail. This is a cleartext POP3 mail function with
> username and passwords sent in the clear, INCLUDING the
> administrator
> when he checks his mail.
>
> A user on a cable system can sniff all packets and grab anyone
> else's username and password, including that of the adminstrator.
> God help the admin if he uses a root password! Home networks
> are particularly vulnerable as the passwords etc sent among
> their computers also appear on the entire cable system segment.
>
> On a dialup system, however, the administrator can sniff out
> all user packets because he is on the common ethernet part.
> However,
> the dialup users, being on separate router ports cannot sniff
> the administrator's password nor that of the other users.
>
> This has been a fantastic screwup problem on cable systems and all
> sorts of esoteric security methods are being devised or
> implemented
> with varying degrees of success. In the meantime, its a hacker's
> paradise!
>
>
> --
> Ramon Gandia ============= Sysadmin ============== Nook Net
> http://www.nook.net [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 285 West First Avenue tel. 907-443-7575
> P.O. Box 970 fax. 907-443-2487
> Nome, Alaska 99762-0970 ==== Alaska Toll Free. 888-443-7525
>
