Firewall Wizards mailing list archives
Re: Blocking Google Talk
From: "Paul D. Robertson" <paul () compuwar net>
Date: Mon, 19 Jun 2006 19:55:05 -0400 (EDT)
Wait.... isn't that "security through obscurity"? What prevents the user from using: 216.239.37.125 talk.google.com in his hosts file? You are telling me that Google recommends attempting to foil a resolver by returning bogus entries as an attempt to prohibit Google Talk traffic in a network? Is that the new Status Quo of Internet giants, giving stupid "un-security" advice like that? Excuse me while I wipe the coffee off my screen and keyboard...
It's a reasonable first step. If the user has the ability to modify their resolver configuration, then that may be a bigger issue than running a chat client. After all, what's to stop the user from using an SSL tunnel to a proxy server somewhere on the Internet? DNS tunnel? SSH tunnel... The answer given is enough to enforce the policy from casual abusers, which is really the goal of most protective policy measures. An active and determined abuser needs to be held to a higher standard of account than someone who clicked on a link on a Web page. Once you've gotten to the circumvention stage, you're in the "removed permanently from the network" category of users who deserves termination. Paul ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Paul D. Robertson "My statements in this message are personal opinions paul () compuwar net which may have no basis whatsoever in fact." http://fora.compuwar.net Infosec discussion boards _______________________________________________ firewall-wizards mailing list firewall-wizards () listserv icsalabs com https://listserv.icsalabs.com/mailman/listinfo/firewall-wizards
Current thread:
- Blocking Google Talk Mike Powell (Jun 15)
- Re: Blocking Google Talk Julian M D (Jun 15)
- Re: Blocking Google Talk Kevin (Jun 15)
- Re: Blocking Google Talk Paul D. Robertson (Jun 19)
- Re: Blocking Google Talk Phil Trainor (Jun 19)
- Re: Blocking Google Talk ArkanoiD (Jun 20)
- Re: Blocking Google Talk Phil Trainor (Jun 20)
- Re: Blocking Google Talk Phil Trainor (Jun 19)
- Re: Blocking Google Talk Frank Knobbe (Jun 19)
- <Possible follow-ups>
- Re: Blocking Google Talk Paul D. Robertson (Jun 19)
- Re: Blocking Google Talk Frank Knobbe (Jun 19)
- Re: Blocking Google Talk R. DuFresne (Jun 20)
- Re: Blocking Google Talk Devdas Bhagat (Jun 20)
- Re: Blocking Google Talk Frank Knobbe (Jun 20)
- Re: Blocking Google Talk Dale W. Carder (Jun 21)
- Re: Blocking Google Talk Oliver Humpage (Jun 21)
- Re: Blocking Google Talk James (Jun 27)
- Re: Blocking Google Talk Paul D. Robertson (Jun 27)
- Re: Blocking Google Talk Frank Knobbe (Jun 19)
- Re: Blocking Google Talk Devdas Bhagat (Jun 21)