Has anybody else signed up for using the laptop Internet access service at Provo City Public Library? Has anyone noticed how very limited that access is?
Requirements: Sign up at desk Use their filtered proxy Services: FTP HTTP HTTPS Restrictions: Standard ports only Abuse = Banned Any other network service Now, I realize that it is a free (read: tax supported) service that the library is providing. I just wondered why other services such as SMTP/POP3 and SSH would be blocked. So, I asked a librarian who I could talk to about it. A technician was there updating some machines, so the librarian directed me to him. He said it was a policy established by his boss. I asked if I could talk to him. (Throughout all of this I was, of course, very polite) He said that his boss was not there at the moment, so I asked if I could write him a note. He said sure. So I did. Today I received a very short email: > The reason is susceptibility to attack. We do what we can > with a very limited budget. > > Provo City Library > Systems Manager > Gery <rant> No why would he say that? If a firewall only allows outgoing services and everything is proxied through their server (via SOCKS, I suppose) then what is the big deal? What could they possibly fear with outgoing, proxied services? </rant> Before anybody suggested security risks, please remember that they already allow you to physically connect to their network. Since they are allowing an unknown machine in, internal network security is not the risk. Plus, I believe (although, I'm not sure) that if two of us both connected to their network, we would be able to do whatever type of networking we wanted between our two machines. Josh ____________________ BYU Unix Users Group http://uug.byu.edu/ ___________________________________________________________________ List Info: http://uug.byu.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/uug-list
