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<TITLE>RE: ISPs' willingness to take action</TITLE>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>Brian.. I would agree with you that sometimes, you can't offer "filtered pipe" services to everyone and expect the same general acceptance of the product across the board. However, how much liability should a business take-on when abuse@ accounts are filling up daily because hundreds of customers not keeping up with Windows Update?</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>We put in filters our WAN a few months back when everyone was feeling the wraths of the various Windows exploit of the week. Still today, we make no exceptions to this rule. We've even lost a few customers in the process, I'm sure. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>My issue is that in most cases (minus a few exceptions, of course) service providers are bombarded with complaints from customers that a) don't know how to change the default Exchange ports away from 135/139 or the security risk in broadcasting 135/139 to the world, b) didn't think they should have to worry about it (even as they were broadcasting from infected servers and machines on their network), or c) have a textbook MCSE, crash-course CCNA network administrator/consultant didn't really have an understanding of what was going on or how they should respond to it. Personally, I'm beginning to feel doubt that the technology industry will be able to maintain the level of competence and respect that we all need and deserve to have. I can't imagine what the health care industry would be like if ignorance was embraced as well as it seems to be in the technology industry.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>-Adam</FONT>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>>Problem is, some applications, like Outlook for example (if I remember correctly), like to >use the 135, 137, 139 and others to connect to the Exchange server. You block them, and </FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>>it will start to croak. You have a lot of home users not using a VPN to connect to their</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> office exchange servers. I used to do this myself at times.</FONT>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>>When you sell a service to someone, and neglect to mention you block certain incoming </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>>ports, especially to a possible business user or home user trying to access their office, >you put yourself in a really bad position.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>>> By the way, can anybody explain to me a legitimate use for port </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>>> 135/137 traffic across the Internet, like it's somebody's private LAN? </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>>> Seems to me anybody who still thinks that's legitimate is living in the past.</FONT>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>>> So, the big question: why don't ISPs do more of this? Are they afraid </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>>> of client reaction? Doesn't wash, for me: most clients would be </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>>> highly grateful, and all it really takes for the remainder is fair </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>>> warning. Cost?</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>>> Again, you can judge for yourselves how low the fruit you choose to </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>>> pick; the biggest gains have the best ROI.</FONT>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>>> Happy clients, liberated bandwidth, faster servers -- what's to loose?</FONT>
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