Lazy network operators - NOT

Paul Vixie paul at vix.com
Mon Apr 19 00:46:40 UTC 2004


> Be careful about the slice and dice effect.  Depending on how you divide
> up the numbers you can make any thing come out on top.  In some sense
> the problem is a lot worse.  Its not just spam, worms, viruses.  Its not
> just residential broadband users.  Its not even just Microsoft Windows.

while i agree, i think something i said earlier needs to get re-said:

>> So-called "broadband" user populations (cable, dsl, fixed wireless,
>> mobile wireless) are full time connected, or nearly so.  They are
>> technically unsophisticated, on average.  The platforms they run
>> trade convenience for security, and must do so in order to remain
>> competitive/relevant.  Margin pressure makes it impossible for most
>> "broadband" service providers to even catalogue known-defect customer
>> systems or process complaints about them.
>> 
>> Those facts are not in dispute. [...]

so, we know that a "broadband customer netblock" operator will not
handle complaints, will not fix the systems that are known to be
running third-hand malware, and that the only recourse against abuse
from those places is blackholing them one (ipv4) /32 at a time, or
blackholing them all at once and forcing mail servers (whether legit
or not) to operate from a higher-rent neighborhood.

there's no choice at all, really.




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