Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att-cb!att-ih!pacbell!ames!ncar!boulder!sunybcs!bingvaxu!leah!uwmcsd1!dogie!ejnorman
From: ejnorman@dogie.edu (Eric Norman)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.lans
Subject: Re: Security on ethernet, recent LAN mag article
Keywords: ethernet,security
Message-ID: <108@dogie.edu>
Date: 31 Mar 88 05:38:21 GMT
References: <4805@ecsvax.UUCP> <4826@ecsvax.UUCP>
Reply-To: ejnorman@unix2.macc.wisc.edu (Eric Norman)
Organization: UW-Madison Academic Computer Center
Lines: 34

In article <4826@ecsvax.UUCP> howell@ecsvax.UUCP (Doc A. Howell) writes:
>   From what I hear there seems to be two basic options in securing an
> ethernet packet from the probing eyes of another user on the same

The Berkeley .rhosts scheme does avoid sending passwords (either
cleartext or encrypted) across the network, you know.  That stops
the voyeurs with LAN monitors.  Sure its security can be defeated by
sloppy use, but that's true of anything else.

> network. The first would be some means of seperation, physical via
> completly seperate networks or logically via a bridge, router etc...

Some degree of logically physical separation can be easily achieved
by merely wiring in the mapping that bridges do from Ethernet address
to bridge side.  This makes being an imposter from the other side
of a bridge very difficult (as if it isn't already).

> suppose it is a matter of wait and see what happens. Anyone have any 
> ideas of the best and CHEAPEST way to handle this problem? Now is your

Sure, in order for there to be a crime, you need (1) motive, (2) opportunity,
and (3) means.  All the suggested methods attempt to eliminate either means
or opportunity.  Why not just eliminate the motive?  How?  Well, maybe that's
a toughie, then again, maybe nobody's thought about it much.  You could
always believe that paranoia is an infectious and self-extinguishing disease.

Eric Norman
Internet:     ejnorman@unix2.macc.wisc.edu
UUCP:         ...!uwvax!ejnorman
Life:         Detroit!Alexandria!Omaha!Indianapolis!Madison!Hyde
  
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