Re: Operational impact of filtering SMB/NETBIOS traffic?

["Steven J. Sobol" <sjsobol () NorthShoreTechnologies net>]

On Tue, 14 Nov 2000, Gary E. Miller wrote:

> I have had my upstream filter these ports on me before.  They
> get an angry call right away.  I use SMB to mount remote shares,
> do remote authentication and remote printing.  Sure most people
> do not know how to do this, but I have taught a lot of my
> customers to do it.  Road Warriors love it.  They never want to
> go back to the old ways.
>
> I have worked at several ISPs that found the easiest way
> to reduce the customer list was to start filtering.  A lot of
> folks do not complain, they just move on to another ISP.

I think SMB attacks are a serious problem and did not have problems
at the one place I worked where the ISP started arbitrarily filtering SMB
- the only problem was that they gave no warning before doing it.
 
> A good compromise is to notify your customers that you are
> providing the extra "service" and let them opt-out if they
> choose.

Agreed.
 

-- 
Steve Sobol, BOFH, President    888.480.4NET 866.DSL.EXPRESS 216.619.2NET
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