RE: Annoying pop-ups

["R. DuFresne" <dufresne () sysinfo com>]

Gregory,

>       I tend to agree with you (as I noted), but that doesn't address my 
> question at all.  Are you guys saying that the messenger service is 
> dangerous/not useful on the LAN?  I think I can make a better argument for 
> some core network functionality being turned on by default than you guys 
> can for turning everything off.  Imagine if everything were turned off by 
> default, things would definitely be safer--but how bad would that world 
> suck for the technically dysfunctional you guys are talking about 
> defending?  They'd be safer, but their computers would be paperweights to them.
>
> <rant>
> The messenger service is *not* evil.  Letting unfiltered Internet traffic 
> hit your machine *is* stupid.  And if you spill hot coffee on yourself, 
> it's *your* fault you got burned, you clumsy dumb-ass.
> </rant>

I think one has to ask this question about the service in question and the
problems faced by yhe original poster:

1>  is the service abusable remotely

2>  is the service abusable internally

3>  does the vendor provide a security mechnism to prevent the abuse of
the service and is that well documented

4>  is the service required for systems to be functional on the corp or
home network

I think you answer that in your rant above about unfiltered traffic
hitting the inside machine<s>.

Additionally, considering most home networks consist of a single system,
shared by the family of in the kid's bedrooms, how functional is the
messaging service?  But, considering the home/small office networks
consisting of more then one system;  does the vendor in question actually
document how the service can be abused and provide information about how
to deal with and prevent such abuses?  Not providing such a mechanism and
documentation might well be itself a primary lack of resonsibility as
pertains to their stance on security.


Thanks,


Ron DuFresne

<what you don't know, *can* hurt you>
-- 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
        admin & senior security consultant:  sysinfo.com
                        http://sysinfo.com

"Cutting the space budget really restores my faith in humanity.  It
eliminates dreams, goals, and ideals and lets us get straight to the
business of hate, debauchery, and self-annihilation."
                -- Johnny Hart

testing, only testing, and damn good at it too!


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