nanog mailing list archives

Re: Suggestion for improved identD


From: Christopher Neill <chrisn () iagnet net>
Date: Wed, 20 May 1998 00:25:48 -0400

Actually, in that example, ther was no ident reply from the remote host.
"evilspammer" is just the name given when the remote host gives his EHLO
or HELO.

Received: from mail.n.ml.org (djr () narnia mhv net [199.0.0.118])
        ...

means my mail server identified itself as "mail.n.ml.org," with a real
host name of "narnia.mhv.net" and IP of 199.0.0.118, and an ident reply of
"djr."

There are valid reasons for a mail to be sent claiming to be sent from
an address it wasnt actually sent from (this is why there is sendmail
-f). Identd, on the other hand, is wholly worthless. I can't believe
people actually trust it (ie, in wrappers), as it is so trivially
forged.

I think the "proxy ident" idea is the most silly thing I've heard in
ages. Come up with a rotating key-based way to authenticate clients
and we can talk turkey..

-- 
Christopher M Neill -- Network Operations
QualNet - We Make the Internet Work for Your Business.(sm)
DID: 216-902-5460, Office: 800-466-0088, Fax: 216-623-3566
http://www.qual.net


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