Internet service providers (ISPs) should take security matters into their own hands by blocking access to communications ports
on their customers' computers which are commonly exploited by Internet worms and other malicious programs, according to a
SANS Institute Inc. report.
Leaving the ports open offers little to customers, while needlessly exposing them to infection and making it more likely that
ISPs will be overwhelmed by future virus outbreaks, the report said.
Entitled "Internet Service Providers: The Little Man's Firewall," the report was written by Johannes Ullrich, chief technology
officer of the SANS Internet Storm Center, which uses a worldwide network of sensors to track virus outbreaks and other events
on the Internet.
The report identifies four communications ports that are commonly left open on Microsoft Corp. Windows machines so that users
on an office or home network can share files between two Windows systems. However, those ports were never intended to be used
to access files over an insecure public network like the Internet, Ullrich said. At least one of the ports, 135, was used
by the recent W32.Blaster worm to locate and infect vulnerable Windows machines on the Internet.
But the four ports were known as handy access points for loosely secured Windows machines long before Blaster appeared in
early August, Ullrich said. "These machines are taken out on a regular basis and used in large scale DDoS (distributed denial
of service) attacks," he said. By blocking the ports centrally, ISPs would close an open doorway for attackers without requiring
any action by their customers, the report said.
Many ISPs already block some or all of the ports named, while others offer customers free personal firewall software to install
on their home computers, according to Ullrich. However, home Internet users often lack the technical knowledge necessary to
install and configure a firewall or even install a software patch, he said.
Closing the ports would not protect users from all Internet threats. However, it is a simple step that would remove a common
and commonly exploited security hole, Ullrich said. "The idea is to get rid of the bulk of problem, then (ISPs) can deal with
the remainder of problems on a case by case basis," he said.
Despite their popularity among virus writers and hackers, the Windows ports are not required to browse the Web or perform
other common Internet activities, meaning that the change would be transparent to most ISP customers, Ullrich said.
Customers who wanted to share files between home or office computers could still do so safely, as long as they were not doing
so over the public Internet and their network was protected by a firewall, he said.
While feasible for ISPs that serve consumers and for universities, the solution is not right for every ISP, Ullrich acknowledged.
ISPs that serve corporate customers or larger, Internet backbone providers could disrupt customers' networks using a blanket
approach such as the one advocated in the report, he said. "This (plan) is for the little man or home user that knows how
to turn on his computer and use a Web browser, but not much else," Ullrich said.
"I think it's a really good idea," said Richard Smith, an independent security expert in Boston. Plugging the holes centrally
would keep many Internet users from unwittingly opening their computers, and their private lives, to the Internet, he said.
"Most users don't want to share their hard drive with the whole Internet and they don't even know they're doing it," he said.
ISPs continue to adhere to an "old school" belief that "you've gotta keep everything (on the Internet) open," Smith said.
Practically, however, there are few reasons to block the ports, he said. In fact, while some ISPs are dragging their feet,
ISP America Online Inc. is using its firewall feature as a major marketing draw for consumers, Smith said.
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