Re: Proxies, opensource and the general market: what's wrong with us?
Darren Reed <[email protected]> Fri, 29 Apr 2011 12:50:35 -0700
| Newsgroups | gmane.comp.security.firewalls.wizards |
|---|---|
| Message-ID | <[email protected]> |
I think that what's happened is the relevant open source security tools for today are no longer proxies or packet filters but plugins for your web browser. Why? Your DSL/cable modem will have firewall/NAT stuff in it for home and for corporate, you've got dedicated hardware. Its role is to allow you to use things like DLNA and Bonjour and other services inside your home network whilst providing protection from hackers that want to mount your IPC$. With more sophisticated content, the threat model has moved past basic access to the system and into the content itself. Proxies and virus software can, to some extent, deal with this but I now find myself relying more on two other open source tools: "no script" and "request policy". At the time I started using "request policy", if it wasn't already available then I would have started writing one myself. What's lacking with these two tools is the enterprise solution where a configuration is delivered to users in a manner that they can't play with it. IMHO, the problem space for open source security solutions that are relevant to today has moved on.. Darren