Also: Rootkits; wiretapping; CALEA; PDF readers; Cisco’s Adaptive Security Device Manager; more
Battling rootkits
Regarding “Rootkits aren’t doom – but keep up defenses”: Rootkits will plague the common PC user in the future just as spyware has in the last few years. Removing rootkits with software will work only in some cases, and some of the software is not user friendly.
The advice we have been given is to wipe your hard drive and reinstall the operating system. This is again well and good for users who are technically savvy, but for the ordinary user this can be a nightmare.
Products such as Komoku’s PCI card seem to be the way forward for the moment as this adds an extra layer of complexity for the rootkit writers to overcome. However, I am sure that technology like this can be overcome by some of the rootkits that are available for installing in your video BIOS.
I can see the fight against rootkits getting harder as the profits that are in it for criminals and hackers spawn more variants of harder-to-detect rootkits. This fight will be hardest on the ordinary and inexperienced PC user.
Stephen Marsh
Administrator
www.antirootkit.com
Dublin, Ireland
Spam Zombies
Regarding “Researchers warn of ‘Spam Zombies from Outer Space’”: The research cited from Aycock and Friess just proves that spammers will always be one step ahead of the spam filtering software on the market. The spam economy is so lucrative that spammers will continue to develop new and more devious ways to deliver their messages to unsuspecting inboxes. This is why filtering spam is virtually ineffective. Spammers study the filter’s rules and generate new messages that outsmart the filters. The key to holding back the flood of spam is to fight the spam at its source — and not when it has already reached the recipient’s inbox. Governments and the Internet community need to work together to hurt spammers in their pockets and force them to comply with ethical e-mail practices. Blue Security’s Do Not Intrude Registry protects over 450,000 e-mail addresses of users that are exercising their rights to get rid of spam and sending a clear message to spammers — “Remove us from your mailing lists” — and spammers are listening. Major spammers, responsible for more than 25% of the world’s spam, already comply with the Do Not Intrude Registry because they understand there is no economic benefit from continuing to send their messages to our community.
Eran Reshef
CEO
Blue Security
Herzlia, Israel
Say no to CALEA
Regarding “Higher ed fears wiretapping law”: The U.S. Supreme Court would probably call the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) — which is not in fact a law, but a policy binding only the FCC — an unfunded mandate which is not constitutional; a violation of the 10th Amendment. Just say no to CALEA.
Rick Butkowski
Taylor, Mich.
No substitute for Acrobat
Regarding Mark Gibbs’ Gearhead column, “A PDF reader, more portable apps”: Foxit looks great in theory, but my experience is that if you install it you’ll have problems with the already-installed Acrobat, and more problems if you uninstall it and expect Acrobat to run. Foxit’s compatibility is still sub-standard, as Gibbs points out.
There is no substitute for the real Acrobat (yet), and this is why, for me, Linux remains an unacceptable alternative to OSes with the genuine article.
Malcolm Dean
Los Angeles
Necessary lawsuits
Regarding Johna Till Johnson’s column, “Wiretapping the WAN: It’s the law”: Johnson does readers a service by explaining the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act’s (CALEA) requirement that carriers embed wiretapping capabilities into the fabric of their network infrastructure. But I disagree with her conclusion that the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) shouldn’t sue AT&T but instead should “go after the folks who required [wiretapping] in the first place.” Given the federal government’s growing penchant for secrecy, such lawsuits may be the only way to learn more about CALEA’s potential to undermine our civil liberties. Go EFF.
Warren Wilson
Bellevue, Wash.
Missing pieces
I deployed a Cisco ASA 5510 for a small business several months ago and agree with your review of the product line (“Cisco hits on firewall/VPN, misses on tight management”).
The Adaptive Security Device Manager (ASDM) leaves much to be desired; it needs a makeover to integrate features. I made several attempts to set up the Web VPN’s menus and gave up. Then one day, I stumbled across the missing piece of the puzzle and was able to set it up with little problem. The ASDM’s help assumes that you already know how the pieces fit together and the books only cover the basic firewall features. I still need to figure out how to change the Web VPN’s SSL certificate so the domain matches. That’s another feature that hasn’t been documented.
My only issue with the hardware is that it doesn’t support hairpinning, so you can’t connect via a VPN and also access the Internet. Cisco’s VPN 3000 Series Concentrators can do this, but not the ASAs.
Cory Wagner
Systems administrator
Internet Production
St. Paul, Minn.
Porn not the biggest problem
Regarding Linda Musthaler’s column, “Porn purveyors may be in next cubicle”: As any network administrator knows, porn is just part of the daily cost of setting what is essentially a television at each workstation if there are no filters or controls in place, and it is usually one of the lesser Internet problems. The cost to companies in consumed bandwidth and productivity is just as bad with a wide variety of Web sites, along with instant messaging and streaming audio and video. Bravo for blocking porn, Musthaler says. How about bravo for blocking that local sports site that just ate up 45 minutes of company time for those four guys huddled around cubicle 12? Both men and women regularly visit Web sites about their favorite TV shows or sports teams.
The point of the article is similar to pointing to a burning flag to detract from the shredding of the Constitution. Child porn is a horrible crime, but should not be equated with the normal human sex drive, nor should the need for a company to protect itself from unwanted expenses and legal problems be used as an excuse to allow the government greater control over the Internet.
Child porn is illegal and should be handled by the authorities. The problem as it pertains to network administrators has nothing to do with morality or legality, but the quantifiable cost to employers in dollars and cents. If the administrators are doing their jobs to look after their employers’ bottom line, the morality or legality of the specific sites employees visit will never become an issue for them or the company.
Gerald Lanning
Senior programmer/analyst
American Printing House for the Blind
Louisville, Ky.
