Re: pop up ads
From: Kevin Davisł (zkevindavisz_at_cfl.rr.com)
Date: 08/07/03
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Date: Thu, 07 Aug 2003 00:31:09 GMT
On Wed, 6 Aug 2003 07:03:49 -0700, "Ira" <iapples@att.net> wrote:
>Whenever my machine is on I get barraged with pop up
>ads.
Installing only a firewall to stop pop-up messages is a "putting all
your eggs in one basket" approach to computer security.
If the user is a home user there is a huge likelihood that not only do
they not use the messenger service, but don't even know it exists.
Complete security advice would have them install a firewall *and*
disable the messenger service. Better yet, add a SOHO router which
will block this traffic as well. To be truly as secure as reasonably
possible, a mutli-layered defense is required.
Turning off the messenger service provide the user with 2 benefits.
First, it will provide a more secure system in that the user will not
be susceptible to any vulnerabilities that may exist in the messenger
service today or that may be found in the future. A great example is
sendmail. It is (or at least was) installed and running on Linux
systems as a daemon by default and had been regarded as very secure.
Recently they found a serious vulnerability that had been there
for over 15 years. Who knows how long the hackers knew about it? How
many people left themselves vulnerable by leaving that service on and
didn't need it?. Relying on one and only one line of defense (a
software firewall) is foolish. You should harden your system as well
as install a firewall. Doing one does not mean that you shouldn't do
the other.
Second, it will return some system resources that were being used by a
service that was useless to the user.
In the case that the user is a corporate user and the messenger
service is being used, then it should not be disabled. However, if
you advise him to install a firewall on his own you could be advising
them to do something that could cause their termination. Many
businesses deal very harshly with this type of behavior. If the user
is a corporate user, they should alert their System Admin of these
pop-ups getting through so they can block the traffic at their border
routers/firewalls and solicit their advice as to what they can do, if
anything, as a corporate user to avoid receiving the pop-ups.
---------------------------------------
What could possibly go wrong?
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