[Full-disclosure] emergent security properties

[coderman]

On 12/26/06, Roland Dobbins <rdobbins at cisco.com> wrote:
> ...
> Another example would be introducing antispoofing functionality into
> a network infrastructure by deploying uRPF, IP Source Verify, iACLs,
> et. al. [...] are also examples of increased complexity leading to
> better security.

uRPF, IP Source Verify, iACLs and friends work great at any scale
(linear more or less) thus lacking any notable emergent properties
despite being useful.  anti fraud measures and similar transaction
based anomaly detection in financial industries are a nice analogy
though (incidentally, this approach is working better for online
banking than N-factor authentication hacks being trialed and discarded
for marginal, if any effective benefit on compromised worm and malware
infested platforms...).


> As an aside, Slammer did not in fact take down 'much of the
> Internet'; some SP infrastructure was affected, but the vast majority
> of networks affected were enterprise networks.

right, a three minute ACL annoyance at worst for anyone who knows how
to manage a network.  slammer was a nice media blurb of passing
interest.  witty a vicious test case of more significant weight (the
theoretical favorite being a curious yellow / warhol worm vector).