Worms versus Bots

Wed May 5 12:03:54 UTC 2004

>
> Its not manufacturers who did not caught up (in fact they did and offer
> very inexpensive personal dsl routers goes all the way to $20 range), 
> its
> DSL providers who still offer free dsl modem (device at least twice 
> more
> expensive then router) and free network card and complex and 
> instructions
> on how to set this all up on each different type of pc. No clue at all
> that it would be only very marginally more expensive for them to 
> integrate
> features of such small nat router into dsl modem and instead of 
> offering
> PPPoverEthernet it could just offer NAT and DHCP and make it so much 
> simpler
> for many of those lusers with only light computer skills to set this 
> all up.
>

Agreed,

  We require a NAT device or true firewall on all DSL customer 
connections.  We sell cheap Linksys boxes to customers or they can 
upgrade to a SonicWall.  We don't use an Integrated modem/router 
because most of them are junk.

You won't find a single Windows/Linux/Mac machine directly connected to 
our DSL network.   I still like PPPoE for customer authentication 
because I can place individual packet filters or re-assign users to 
different contexts based on username/password authentication.  
PPPoE/NAT is a good combination.  Couple that with 3 levels of virus 
scanning on our mail server has reduced the effects of virus and worm 
spread inside the networks we control.  We still get viruses & worms to 
hit but it is at a more manageable rate.  We are not a large provider 
by any means but I try my hardest to provide a solid network and 
protect the Internet from my users as much as possible.  If only the 
users would not shop solely on price I would be all set :/

-Matt

> -- 
> William Leibzon
> Elan Networks
> william at elan.net
>