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Date:      Fri, 30 Aug 1996 07:50:19 -0400 (EDT)
From:      Yves Lepage <yves@CC.McGill.CA>
To:        dmr@fc.edu
Cc:        freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: How to: eliminate IRC from telnet sessions?
Message-ID:  <199608301150.HAA07735@maelstrom.CC.McGill.CA>

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Hi,

I find it unfortunate that you want to ban IRC usage but here's
my experiences:

- just removing IRC applications won't work. They can be
  downloaded from a large number of sites around the world.

- When a user download an IRC app, he'll make sure it's not detected:

  - they'll hide them in usr/spool/mail or /tmp
  - they'll rename them to things like -csh so that you can't
    see they are IRC'ing 

- Sites around the world offer telnet access to IRC servers. Your
  users will telnet to there and use IRC from the remote site.

- You could block outgoing traffic to port 6667 using the ipfw
  package. However, your users will be able to take arrangements
  with server admins so that they can use another port. I do it
  for a couple of Canadians sites with port 6667 blocked. ;-)

I think your best bet here is to put up a policy. Make sure your policy
is known by all your users and plan disciplinary measures in that 
policy if the user is caught using IRC. This is the best way to 
ban IRC from your site. ANy technical way will fail.

Of course, with remote telnet access, you will never be able to prove 
that they were using IRC. If your users use IRC via a PPP link, you
will have to get into hard work (capturing packets and the like) to
be able to prove it.

I hope this helps.

Regards,
Yves Lepage



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