Webone blocking port 25??

[Alex Satrapa]

On Thursday, July 25, 2002, at 11:50 , Damien Elmes wrote:

> ... I don't think it's the ISP's responsibility to curb viruses, other
> than to provide free firewall / virus software to download.

"For their next act, they'll no doubt be buying a firewall running under 
NT, which makes about as much sense as building a prison out of 
meringue."
-:Tanuki:, a.s.r

If you run an ISP, and allow people with Windows to connect to your ISP, 
the very least you can do as a public service, is block port 25 
outgoing.  This protects you (the ISP) from being blacklisted, since 
your clients can no longer send spam without going through your mail 
relay.  Ideally, you'd also have spam filters on your mail relay 
(inbound and outbound).  As a side-effect, blocking port 25 outgoing 
also protects your clients from exposing important documents thanks to 
virii like SirCam.

Virus checking software only knows how to catch virii that have already 
been caught.

Windows is not a secure platform, and anybody responsible for connecting 
Windows boxes to the Internet is also responsible for protecting the 
Internet from them.

Reasons I'd support "consumer grade" ISPs blocking port 25 outgoing and 
requiring their customers use the mail relay would be that most 
consumers use Windows, and as such need someone else to take care of 
them.

It's probably a stupid analogy but here goes:  In "real life", there are 
health regulations that mandate the use of gloves and tongs when 
handling food.

The reason restaurants are forced to behave this way is to protect the 
large number of people who could be hurt by them.

Why shouldn't there be similar restrictions on people who connect poorly 
administered machines to the Internet?

Alex

"Action without study is fatal. Study without action is futile."
   -- Mary Beard
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