Re: an anternative to port-knoking using the OpenBSD pf only

From: poplix (poplix@papuasia.org)
Date: Mon Feb 27 2006 - 18:09:25 EST


Hi,

> Easily perhaps from many internal networks. But it's much more
> difficult for an attacker to sniff it without access to either the
> client's network and the server's network.

I think a security layer must fits the anybody needs and cannot fail
only because the connecting host is not on a safe location.

>
> But it is a security layer because it makes a system harder to
> hack. How is that not a security layer?

It's not easy to define the meaning of security layer. It's not wrong
to define a security layer as "anything that increase security" but
it's not exactly correct. It's possible to distinguish between a
security layer and a security measure: a security layer is a part of
a system designed to increase the security; a security measure is any
measure we adopt to make our system safer.
Adding a firewall rule that allow access to a trusted ip only is a
security measure, the firewall itself is a security layer. I think
port-knocking is not a security layer because it plays with an
existing security layer, i.e. the firewall.
If you bind sshd on a different port every hour, probably you system
is safer, but how can you consider this a security layer? Maybe you
can call it a security measure....

> Well then it does protect the vault from rain, right? It's still
> protecting.

Ok, cellophane protects the vault against rain, but it doesn't
protect its content against thiefs ....

Maybe we can focus a new discussion on the security layer meaning....
it can be more interesting than port-knocking ;)

cheers
poplix

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