Obsolete bogon filtering

Sun Mar 13 03:33:46 UTC 2005

On Sat, Mar 12, 2005 at 04:56:09PM -0500, Joe Provo wrote:

 > > If you run any bogon filtering, can you please check your 
 > > border ACLs and BGP prefix filters to ensure that you're 
 > > no longer preventing access to 58.0.0.0/8 or 59.0.0.0/8 ?
 > [snip]
 > 
 > It is useful to point out that APNIC indicates the minalloc 
 > in 59/8 is /20 and 58/8 is /21.  I see several prefixes 'in 
 > the wild' which are longer, so where you think you might be 
 > seeing old bogon filters you are potentially seeing registry 
 > minalloc filters.

No, we're announcing 59.167.0.0/17 -- Well shorter than the minalloc
restriction.

We're not dealing with peole who are trying to "enforce" registry
allocation guidelines here (note:  that's allocation guidelines,
not BGP announcement guidelines).  We're just dealing with people
who are potentially too clueless to breathe, who haven't updated
their filters for nearly a year.

Speaking of "too clueless to breathe":  DShield.org

On Wednesday I emailed them to tell them that one of their customers
had informed me that they had 58/8 and 59/8 in the blacklists they
publish on their website.

Somewhere along the line whoever read that email had a small neural
collapse immediately afterwards, and imagined that what I had actually
said was, "I am a responsible person in charge of 58/8 and 59/8, and
you may begin sending IDS logs and exploit reports direct to me for
action."

Since then I've received about 250 such email messages, and every 
single one of them pertains to networks which have absolutely nothing
to do with me.  I emailed them on Thursday and Friday to tell them
about their mistake, but they've (thus far) ignored those messages, 
and I have had no further (non-automated) contact from them.

Words fail me.  

Today it got worse:  Apparently they share their database with 
"netvigator.com", who send out automated "you're hosting an open
relay" email messages;  So now I'm getting security alerts from two
completely different organizations all telling me that IP addresses
belonging to a bunch of Asian ISPs I've never heard of are attacking
IP addresses belonging to a bunch of American ISPs I've never heard
of.

As me whether or not I could care less.  Go on, ask me.  I dare you.

Needless to say my spam filter has been receiving some remedial 
retraining over the last couple of days, and now understands exactly
how to deal with anything from netvigator.com and dsheild.org.

It's things like this that really point out that most of the Internet
is under the custodianship of total amateurs.  It's really disappointing
to see the level of abject cluelessness I've found surrounding this
topic;  There are *SO MANY* people out there who have read in a book
somewhere that they should be blocking a few things, so they've just
blocked 'em without any further thought.  Even some Serious Blue-Chip
Multinationals appear to have professional Network Security divisions
who really should know better, but don't.  It's a real eye-opener.

  - mark

-- 
Mark Newton                               Email:  newton at internode.com.au (W)
Network Engineer                          Email:  newton at atdot.dotat.org  (H)
Internode Systems Pty Ltd                 Desk:   +61-8-82282999
"Network Man" - Anagram of "Mark Newton"  Mobile: +61-416-202-223