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Re: Secure Perlmonks

by pzbagel (Chaplain)
on Jul 09, 2003 at 20:10 UTC ( [id://272813]=note: print w/replies, xml ) Need Help??


in reply to Secure Perlmonks

Simple. Just set up a system somewhere (on your broadband connection at home, in a colo, anywhere you can reach it from the internet at large). Run openssh (Secure Shell) on it. Run a squid proxy configured to only allow loopback connections. Now ssh to the box, forward local port 8080(or whatever) to 127.0.0.1:<sqiudport> on the remote host. Now configure your browser's proxy settings to point to 127.0.0.1:8080(or whatever you chose as the local port) and surf away. All your connections will be encrypted via SSH until they reach the remote machine at which point the squid proxy will go out and retrieve the web pages for you. No prying eyes on the LAN you are on will be able to see what you are doing, unless they look at your monitor. This also gets around most URL filtering for when you are doing <ahem> research...

Or you can just relax and go with the flow...

Later

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Re: Re: Secure Perlmonks
by SyN/AcK (Scribe) on Jul 14, 2003 at 16:18 UTC
    Well, I just wondered the scenario to which such concern is caused? For one, Perl Monks generates a random password for you, so its not like you're using a password from somewhere else, for two, there's not a whole lot of information that they keep on you.

    If someone is taking the time to sniff packets on your network, then you have likely got a lot more to worry about then just your perlmonks password. I'm a security professional, and I'm extremely paranoid about these sort of things, but I find no real cause for concern here.

    Also you should consider what kind of network you are on. Say you are at work, well then its likely you're on a switched network. If that's the case you have little to worry about unless you are worried that perlmonks.org is sniffing your passwords, since only the target machine would be able to catch the packets... that is of course unless you have someone on your switched network that knows how to do ARP poisoning, but that takes a level of expertise and patience.

    If you are worried about hackers on your network, and you are worried about someone doing ARP poisoning to sniff your packets, well, you should be much more worried that the person may have already hacked your machine and created a back door account! Cheers
      If someone is taking the time to sniff packets on your network, then you have likely got a lot more to worry about then just your perlmonks password.
      the time is just a simple dsniff that runs in the background.

      Also you should consider what kind of network you are on. Say you are at work, well then its likely you're on a switched network
      switched networks are no real match, as you can fake packets that will confuse the switch, so you can get all the packages you want. I think especially as a security expert you shouldn't feel all safe because its may seem hard it do - as long as it is possible there is the danger.

      By the way, hackers are not people who enter into machines and try to harm others.
      see here

        Yes yes, I'm well aware of the difference between hackers and crackers. To me, the terms are interchangable. Its not my fault the media decided to call crackers, hackers.

        I don't think that you completely understood the answer to my question. When I said

        If someone is taking the time to sniff packets on your network, then you have likely got a lot more to worry about then just your perlmonks password.

        I was refering to the network as say your home computer. I was trying to make the point that you should be alot more concerned with someone sniffing passwords other than just your perlmonks password, or with something potentially worse, say using your netbios shares (or any other vulnerability for that matter) to "hijack" your computer.

        I agree, dsniff is a simple enough tool to use, but the point that I was trying to initially make is that you should be much more concerned about the other vulnerabilities inherent on most peoples home computers.

        As for your comment about switched networks,

        switched networks are no real match, as you can fake packets that will confuse the switch, so you can get all the packages you want. I think especially as a security expert you shouldn't feel all safe because its may seem hard it do - as long as it is possible there is the danger,

        I think that this is an unfair statement. While it is true that there is some inherent insecurities involved with a switched network environment, it has proven to be a viable solution for may small business (as well as many large scale businesses). It again comes to my point that you should be most concerned with other things.

        As a security expert, its not as important to recognize and address every single potentially exploitable hole, as it is to prioritize and address the most significant problems. I was merely trying to show that there are other things to be more concerned about. ARP poisoning, while definitely not to be taken lightly, is not as dangerous as some of the other hacks, or "cracks" (whatever), that take much less skill to accomplish.

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