nanog mailing list archives

RE: Is it time to abandon bogon prefix filters?


From: "Tomas L. Byrnes" <tomb () byrneit net>
Date: Sat, 16 Aug 2008 10:58:02 -0700

In the case of routers and firewalls, managing your block lists
dynamically is akin to checking the oil. Which is something too few car
owners do as well.

It's also relatively easy to do:

<shameless plug>
For firewalls, I came up with ThreatSTOP to make this simple for
everyone.
</shameless plug>

Team Cymru has been doing this for routers forever.


-----Original Message-----
From: Sean Donelan [mailto:sean () donelan com] 
Sent: Friday, August 15, 2008 10:07 AM
To: Steven M. Bellovin
Cc: NANOG list
Subject: Re: Is it time to abandon bogon prefix filters?

On Fri, 15 Aug 2008, Steven M. Bellovin wrote:
and i am saying that you should use a router configuration 
*system* 
that avoids ticking time bombs.  no router should be neglected and 
unloved.

That, I think, is why he distinguished between routers run 
by "highly 
clueful people" and routers run by others.  I think we all agree on 
your basic point; it's just that too many people aren't 
clueful enough 
to realize that they even have a problem, let alone know 
how to solve 
it.  (Of course, you and I both have a background in programming 
languages and compilers, which is why we naturally think of router 
configurations as a form of assembler language that only a compiler 
should every emit.)


To avoid people feeling individually insulted, I sometimes 
try to distinguish between the purposes of equipment rather 
than the capabilities of the person maintaining it.

A NASCAR racing team may perform extensive monitoring and 
maintenance on their racing cars; but that doesn't mean I 
should need a team of 5 mechanics to keep my regular street 
car operating safely with a few idiot lights on the dashboard.





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