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Date:      Wed, 3 Feb 1999 13:23:21 +0100
From:      Eivind Eklund <eivind@FreeBSD.ORG>
To:        Robert Watson <robert+freebsd@cyrus.watson.org>
Cc:        Michael Richards <026809r@dragon.acadiau.ca>, "Jordan K. Hubbard" <jkh@zippy.cdrom.com>, security@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: tcpdump
Message-ID:  <19990203132321.K8749@bitbox.follo.net>
In-Reply-To: <Pine.BSF.3.96.990203004346.21838E-100000@fledge.watson.org>; from Robert Watson on Wed, Feb 03, 1999 at 12:48:34AM -0500
References:  <Pine.GSO.4.05.9902030015490.7728-100000@dragon> <Pine.BSF.3.96.990203004346.21838E-100000@fledge.watson.org>

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On Wed, Feb 03, 1999 at 12:48:34AM -0500, Robert Watson wrote:
> On Wed, 3 Feb 1999, Michael Richards wrote:
> 
> > On Tue, 2 Feb 1999, Jordan K. Hubbard wrote:
> > 
> > > OK, time to raise this topic again.  What to people think about
> > > enabling bpfilter by default in GENERIC?
> >
> > I would think that the majority of us do not use the bpfilter by default.
> > My personal opinion (whether correct or not) is that it is more secure
> > this way. Many kiddiez have scripts to automate tcpdumping for passwords
> > and other such nasties and having to compile a bpf module and load it is
> > beyond many people. (I admit I'd have to go find some instructions)
> 
> Security by obscurity in that form works only until the first
> script-author writes script-kiddie-script-#20 which automates the process.
> And it's not such a complicated task that some bored hacker won't write it
> into tomorrow's rootkit.

This is not correct.  Having BPF support in the kernel also add code
to the drivers to support it.  It is not possible to compile up as a
module without also replacing the drivers.

Don't take this as me being against 'pseudo-device bpfilter' in
GENERIC; I'm agnostic on that issue.

Eivind.

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