[HECnet] Minimal Requirements

[Johnny Billquist]

On 2019-04-04 15:28, Paul Koning wrote:
> 
> 
>> On Apr 4, 2019, at 7:53 AM, Supratim Sanyal <supratim at riseup.net> wrote:
>>
>> On 4/4/19 6:12 AM, Keith Halewood wrote:
>>> Hi,
>>> I'm pretty sure that a TCP listen doesn't care who connects to it on VAX Multinet. UDP is a different matter.
>>> For example, there's a listener device set up with a 1.1.1.1 address on DUNE here. PIVAX0 connects to it from a completely different address. I use access controls on the router to restrict just who is allowed to connect to it.
>>> If you want I can set up another incoming line/circuit and you can connect to it. I'm in area 29 FYI.
>>
>> I have listeners waiting on 0.0.0.0. Yes, MULTINET does not seem to care what address connections come in from.
> 
> Does that mean anyone can connect to HECnet without any authentication?  Or is DECnet node init authentication used?
> 
> "Security by obscurity" only goes so far.  Is it good enough for HECnet?

So far that's mostly what we have, yes.
I have from time to time considered maybe adding a password on the link, 
as DECnet do support that.

But so far, there has never been a single instance of someone actually 
trying to connect some unknown node with DECnet on any link of mine. But 
it is most likely just because pretty much any remote script-kid just 
have no clue that DECnet even exists, what to do with it, or anything else.

Also, the worst I think anyone could do would just be disrupting DECnet. 
But maybe someone else can think of anything else potentially 
interesting someone could do by hijacking a circuit.

My biggest issue with those link passwords in RSX is that I think I can 
only have one password, and it will be applied to all links. And I also 
think that maybe I had to turn it on on all links if I turn it on on any.

But if people are willing to experiment some, we could test enabling it.

For the bridge, though, it requires that both ends are known. No 
wildcard connections allowed.

   Johnny

-- 
Johnny Billquist                  || "I'm on a bus
                                   ||  on a psychedelic trip
email: bqt at softjar.se             ||  Reading murder books
pdp is alive!                     ||  tryin' to stay hip" - B. Idol