Screaming Penguin - Source Does Matter

This is pretty funny, but absoultely true to form. Microsoft is calling its new Internet Security and Acceleration Firewall (ISA) product its first foray into the "security" market. That in and of itself is quite a revelation, if you make supposed commerical operating systems, arent you already supposed to be in the security market (not to mention web servers, proxy servers, etc, etc, etc?)

In fact MS operating systems (NT4 in my experience) even come with an advanced configuration for "Security" per network adapter as it proclaims in the manual and on screen. In the advanced area you can configure what ports and protocols are allowed to what services for respective adapters (granted I had a problem with this "feature" once, not really blocking access to ports correctly and called MS, I ended up at a 3rd level support position and they told me flat out, "dont use that on the Internet, its not really secure.")

Well once you get past that and give them the benefit of the doubt (give em lots of doubt) you then are faced with the fact that this new ISA product is vulnerable to some simple DoS attacks! Some firewall product for the new "security" offering! It is completely bewildering to me that people still use NT, 2000, IIS, etc on the Internet, much less a purported "firewall" from Microsoft. Marketese wont make a firewall that will keep out real intruders (like the "Applied Cryptography" text book states, some security systems are the kind that will keep out your kid sister.)

Anyway, if you are interested in more info on this latest fiasco, check out the VNUnet story, linked -->.   http://thebusiness.vnunet.com/News/1120597