Packet anonymity is the problem?

Sun Apr 11 02:48:16 UTC 2004

If you connect a dialup modem to the public switched telephone network, do
you rely on Caller ID for security?  Or do you configure passwords on the
systems to prevent wardialers with blocked CLIDs from accessing your
system?  Have a generation of firewalls and security practices distracted
us from the fundamental problem, insecure systems.

http://www.ecommercetimes.com/perl/story/security/33344.html
  Gartner  research vice president Richard Stiennon confirmed that packet
  anonymity is a serious issue for Internet security.
[...]
  "Because of the way TCP/IP works, it's an open network," Keromytis
  said. "Other network technologies don't have that problem. They have
  other issues, but only IP is subject to this difficulty with abuse."

[...]
  Bellovin compared the situation to bank robberies. "[S]treets, highways
  and getaway cars don't cause bank robberies, nor will redesigning them
  solve the problem. The flaws are in the banks," he said. Similarly, most
  security problems are due to buggy code, and changing the network will
  not affect that.