March 2006 - KCLUG

Re: What is the modern "Floppy-Based" router based on?
by John 05 Mar '06

05 Mar '06

http://linuxhelp.blogspot.com/2005/11/make-your-files-immutable-which-even.… I looked into a couple of things and had an idea that the link above plays into with this. What if you simply set the attributes for all of the files you wanted to read-only, set them to immutable, and any further attributes on the build system, but fail to put chattr on the router you are building. This means the files can't be removed, changed, etc on the router and if you tell it to mount Read-only for / on boot, problem solved. That would be the ulta-paranoid approach I would do. That way even if they managed to get it mounted RW, what can they change since the attributes would prevent changes and chattr wouldn't exist on the router. Another good way to ensure less issues is to minimize the system. Build it with a kernel, busybox, and the needed startup/support files for the router task. I would also suggest minimizing the abilities of apache if you decide to make it web configurable. Or look for a alternative web server thats hardened and small. -John Frakes unixengineer(a)earthlink.net -----Original Message----- >From: Leo Mauler <webgiant(a)yahoo.com> >Sent: Mar 4, 2006 10:42 PM >To: kclug(a)kclug.org >Subject: Re: What is the modern "Floppy-Based" router based on? > >The main problem with the CF card solution is that the >CF card has no "write-protect" feature. The original >reason this topic was brought up in the first place >was that floppy-based routers have easily switched >write-protect tabs, allowing one to easily edit the >floppy if necessary, then switch it back to >write-protect mode for normal operation. > >Now, someone else has pointed out that there are a few >USB memory keys which have write-protect tabs, which >would make them an ideal substitute for the >floppy-based router. > >--- Michael <mogmios(a)mlug.missouri.edu> wrote: >> Better yet get a small (cheap) CF card and CF >> to IDE converter and use that. Very reliable >> and can be put together with a GB of space >> for little more than a floppy drive. About >> $20 usually. >> >> Kelsay, Brian - Kansas City, MO wrote: >> > I ran a firewall off one with Freesco for >> > something like 2 years. If a floppy isn't >> > going to work in this mode, you find out >> > real quick when you try to format it and >> > use rawwrite to put the .img file on it. > >__________________________________________________ >Do You Yahoo!? >Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around >http://mail.yahoo.com >_______________________________________________ >Kclug mailing list >Kclug(a)kclug.org >http://kclug.org/mailman/listinfo/kclug

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exciting developments on the MonoDevelop front
by Jason Clinton 03 Mar '06

03 Mar '06

For those programmers coming from the Windows world, you might be interested to know that an IDE with a fully integrated GUI designer will be available shorty from the MonoDevelop project. Currently only C# language features are supported but there's support for Boo, Java, PHP and Python in the works. Thus far there has been no OSS IDE with an integrated GUI designer available for Linux. The closest was KDevelop which included Qt Designer as a plugin. Here is the announcement: http://primates.ximian.com/~lluis/blog/pivot/entry.php?id=49 -- Jason Clinton <me(a)jasonclinton.com>

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RE: What is the modern "Floppy-Based" router based on?
by Kelsay, Brian - Kansas City, MO 02 Mar '06

02 Mar '06

Well, I think I started that email before I got any caffeine in my system. Come to think of it, I haven't had any yet today. Maybe that is my problem. I was just emphasizing the point about them being willing to do whatever it takes to get that last dollar from the customer. You gotta hand it to em. They could sell ice to Eskimos and not guarantee that it'll be froze when it arrives. A recent study I read about indicates that it is very difficult to read a person's emotional state via email or IM communication. That is why smilies and words in quotes are so helpful. We don't have the visual cues to tell us when people are joking or mad. I added the typical geek rant mode indicator, but could have easily added a tongue in cheek, gagging or some other face I was making at the time. I got in a hurry at the end however as the phone started to ring and I needed to get some real work done. Most of the time I'm ranting, I'm also laughing at the silliness of it all. >-----Original Message----- >From: On Behalf Of Leo Mauler >Sent: Thursday, March 02, 2006 11:41 AM >Ahhh, this kind of response is why I keep coming back here. >

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RE: What is the modern "Floppy-Based" router based on?
by Kelsay, Brian - Kansas City, MO 02 Mar '06

02 Mar '06

<rant> Yes, they would. They would use cans and string as a communications device, if they thought they could get away with it. They'd use the original DivX disks that self-destruct after so many plays or time-limit reached. If they could remotely destroy PCs with pirated software, they would. If they can steal an idea or a piece of software from a small company, they will. They would and have knowingly sent out code that has not been stress-tested or checked for security flaws only to come back later and service pack it when they had time, after there was a major vulnerability found. Anyone that has actually read the EULA knows that their software is not necessarily fit for the task that they sell it for and that you may not be able to sue them if it breaks and you lose business. </rant> >-----Original Message----- >From: On Behalf Of Leo Mauler >Sent: Thursday, March 02, 2006 4:32 AM <snip> > Apparently Microsoft felt that a DMF disk was more >than adequate for "irreplaceable" software, especially given >that they did not include any tools in Windows to create >backup 1.680MB disks for their software (probably to curb >software piracy). > >I remember installing Windows95 and (pre-SE) Windows98 from >these same 1.680MB floppies. > <snip> > >"<snip> After all, would Microsoft use these disks to >distribute its own software if they were unreliable?" >

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What is the modern "Floppy-Based" router based on?
by Leo Mauler 02 Mar '06

02 Mar '06

I was going over some of my old links (in backup CDs) and found this interesting link to creating 1.680MB floppy disks for use in floppy-based routers and gateways: http://www.trevormarshall.com/byte_articles/byte19.htm This made me think about the whole concept of the PC-based router/bridge. Floppy disks have the write-protect tab on them, making them easily switched (provided you have direct access to the PC) from write-protect to run the router, to flipping the write-protect tab for editing the router, and then flipping it back to write-protect once you are finished with the edit. What can the modern PC-based router use to duplicate this nice combination of security and ease of editing? You can duplicate the security (and possibly make it better) with a write-once CD-R, but to make changes you have to write an entirely new CD. ReWritable CDs aren't a good idea precisely because they have no "write-protect tab". The same might go for a memory key, since there is no "write-protect tab" for a memory key. I've been taking training classes with Cisco routers recently, and the one issue they all seem to have is that if someone manages to get past an interface password and then a configuration password (two words: "social engineering"), even without physical access to the router, they can change (and access) what they like. While I've been told there are ways around the write protect tab, it seems to me that having some form of physical write-protect on the media used to store configuration files would be a good idea for modern routers. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

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exciting UI developments
by Jason Clinton 01 Mar '06

01 Mar '06

This guy has thrown together an entirely new UI tool [1] in the last week. Very neat stuff. Notice that applications that aren't running are "grey" and those that are are "color". If he clicks on an app that isn't running, it launches; if he clicks on one that is, it raises it's window. Notice that it also integrates with the gnome-vfs, Evolution and Gaim. [1] http://www.beatniksoftware.com/blog/index.php?p=38 -- Jason Clinton <me(a)jasonclinton.com>

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RE: What is the modern "Floppy-Based" router based on?
by Kelsay, Brian - Kansas City, MO 01 Mar '06

01 Mar '06

I have several pen drive/memory cards with a lock switch (write protect) on them. Sandisk Mini Cruzer and several MMC/SD Flash Memory cards. A CDRW is not vulnerable if there is no access to the tools to write on said CD and if the session is finalized. I use CDRW disks for writing ISOs of various LiveCD distros that I keep up with. When you write an ISO image to the disk, the session is normally closed. That means you can't write anything else to the disk until you erase it and rewrite it. I believe Puppy Linux and one or two others have a method of leaving the session open, to enable live config changes. IPCop runs from HDD, with appropriate permissions, default DENY rules, and only enough Linux to do the firewall and router thing, built from LFS, previously it was a stripped older RedHat. Devil Linux runs from a LiveCD, with configs backed up to floppy I think. Freesco used to run from floppy only, but I think it is now installed to HDD. PublicIP, Linux wireless AP, runs from CD or HDD and config can be on local floppy and some items retrieved from the PublicIP website account. M0n0wall is a *BSD that runs from floppy or CF card. I just bashed out the details that I knew off the top of my head. You have to choose something that suits your comfort level. Any distro installed to HDD and exposed to the Internet needs to have a strong password. Block ssh to that box if you only want to change config while local to the box. Don't allow root to ssh, so you must ssh as a user and then su to root (two passwords req'd.). >-----Original Message----- >From: Behalf Of Leo Mauler >Sent: Wednesday, March 01, 2006 6:17 AM > >I was going over some of my old links (in backup CDs) and >found this interesting link to creating 1.680MB floppy disks >for use in floppy-based routers and >gateways: > >http://www.trevormarshall.com/byte_articles/byte19.htm > >This made me think about the whole concept of the PC-based >router/bridge. Floppy disks have the write-protect tab on >them, making them easily switched (provided you have direct >access to the PC) from write-protect to run the router, to >flipping the write-protect tab for editing the router, and >then flipping it back to write-protect once you are finished >with the edit. > >What can the modern PC-based router use to duplicate this nice >combination of security and ease of editing? > You can duplicate the security (and possibly make it >better) with a write-once CD-R, but to make changes you have >to write an entirely new CD. ReWritable CDs aren't a good >idea precisely because they have no "write-protect tab". The >same might go for a memory key, since there is no >"write-protect tab" for a memory key. > <snip> >

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mail configuration - 2nd attempt
by Jack 01 Mar '06

01 Mar '06

Anyone know of a good reason for a mail server to have the "percent hack" turned on? I don't have it turned on on my server,but have a friend who has it enabled, probably because it was just on by default. Thanks, Brian JD P.S. first attempt rejected because of blacklisting or graylisting of a yahoo ipaddress?

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