Osirusoft blacklists the world

[bscott at ntisys.com]

On Fri, 29 Aug 2003, at 12:03pm, invalid at pizzashack.org wrote:
>> In this case, many large operators serving ignorant end-users are taking
>> steps like this to block the SoBig worm, which is still circulating,
>> despite massive press coverage, even in the mainstream press.
>
> And despite operators blocking port 25.  I think that's proof enough that
> it solves nothing.

  Hmmm.  I'm beginning to see a pattern here.  Going back to your previous
message...

On Fri, 29 Aug 2003, at 11:27am, invalid at pizzashack.org wrote:
> They make it impossible for you to do something that the Internet was
> expressly designed to do.
 
  The modern Internet was not designed, expressly or otherwise.  In truth,
there is no "the Internet" as many think there is.

  The Internet, from day one, has been a *collection of independent
networks*.  ARPANET was a project intended to to connect independent
government and research networks together.  The protocol suite we today call
"IP" evolved from a need to create some kind of standard protocol for
interoperability, as local networks of that era generally were incapable of
talking to Someone Else's Stuff.

  Fast forward to the present day.  Instead of a collection of government
and research networks, we have a collection of mostly commercial networks.  
These networks are very much privately owned and operated.  The various
owners and operators have agreed to connect themselves together because they
can make money doing so.

  But there is not, and never has been, an "Internet" that has operated as a
single, unified whole.

  When a network operator puts restrictions in place -- like blocking TCP
port 25 -- it is for one reason and one reason only: To protect their
operations.  If doesn't have to stop the problem for the whole Internet,
Derek.  It just has to make things better -- or at least less bad -- on
their part of the Internet.

  I'm sure the various private operators would love to solve the problem
world-wide -- but failing a perfect solution, most will go for an imperfect
one.

On Fri, 29 Aug 2003, at 12:03pm, invalid at pizzashack.org wrote:
> The solution is for people to stop using bad software.  Of course, that
> means we'll have to stop writing it first...  ;-)

  While bad software certainly makes the problem many times worse,
ultimately, the *real* problems are people problems.  Ignorant people cause
problems and don't realize it.  Apathetic people cause problems and don't
care.  Malicious people seek to cause problems.  Eliminating buffer
overflows and weak passwords won't prevent those people from causing
problems.

-- 
Ben Scott <bscott at ntisys.com>
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