Re: the importance of security

[Scott Genung <sagenung () ILSTU EDU>]

At 11:12 AM 8/11/2004, you wrote:
> The first two items seem mainly intended to ensure that your school is a
> good network citizen so I can understand a management temptation to ask
> "what is the benefit to us?" Is that the problem?

In the case of SMTP authentication, the pushback is actually from
departments that tell their VPs that many of the vanity accounts they have
used in the past will break. This relates to the SMTP filters that were
proposed because the intent was to force all departmental outbound and
inbound email through the central email host because this is where
anti-spam/anti-virus appliances live. These is no consistency as to the
type of defenses erected (if any) by departmental email systems.

> Does anyone have data to help frame these particular policies in terms of
> general acceptance? Are most schools now doing this or are there pressures
> from the government of ISPs?

Our goal was to try and prevent our mail domain from being RBL'd (this
happened several times in the spring due to relays on departmental systems
or SMTP trojans on desktops) and to try and prevent the spread of email
borne security threats.

> >>> sagenung () ILSTU EDU 8/11/2004 8:42:46 AM >>>
> Below are the initiatives that we presented which received the highest
> degree of opposition.
>
> - SMTP authentication
> - perimeter STMP filters to block mail trojans
> - split DNS
>
> There are a lot of other things that we have done or will complete before
> school starts that have not created any major opposition. It all boils down
> to what impact it has on the departmental technology units and not the
> benefits that these approaches would provide.
>
> At 09:56 AM 8/11/2004, Jere Retzer wrote:
> >If you don't mind, what were the proposals your administrator found
> >objectionable? Thanks
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Scott Genung
Manager of Networking Systems
Telecommunications and Network Support Services
124 Julian Hall
Illinois State University

(309)438-8731   http://www.tnss.ilstu.edu

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