RE: [Full-Disclosure] Possibly a stupid question RPC over HTTP

["Airey, John" <John.Airey@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: full-disclosure-admin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> [mailto:full-disclosure-admin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Burnes,
> James
> Sent: 14 October 2004 17:42
> To: ASB; full-disclosure@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: RE: [Full-Disclosure] Possibly a stupid question RPC 
> over HTTP
> 
> 
> Welcome the wonderful wide world of "web services".  The gleeful
> tunneling through https and http of non REST information.  
> This has been
> an issue for, how many years now?
> 
> Get yourself a SOAP/XML sniffer.  I believe one of the XML firewall
> suppliers gives this out for free.
> 

Time to end the ignorant suggestions. First of all, yes it would be possible to 
block RPC over http. However, if the traffic is going out through https, you 
can't.

Before ANY data is exchanged over https, a handshake takes place to determine 
what level of encryption is used. Now I know that lots of browsers don't show 
the padlock before you send a username and password to an SSL protected site, 
but that data is still encrypted (hint - if you have any sites that are private 
to your company that your users need to access from outside, protect with SSL 
and password prompt first. If it's hacked you can demonstrate it was a private 
system). Once a connection is established via SSL to any site, all you can see 
is encrypted packets between you and that site. 

Blocking individual sites is always a possibility.

This gives you two options. One, use brute force to break the SSL encryption. 
Two (and it's entirely possible that the security services have this already) 
come up with a mathematical way to factor large primes rapidly.

I cannot believe that no-one has pointed this out yet.

-- 
John Airey, BSc (Jt Hons), CNA, RHCE
Internet systems support officer, ITCSD, Royal National Institute of the Blind,
Bakewell Road, Peterborough PE2 6XU,
Tel.: +44 (0) 1733 375299 Fax: +44 (0) 1733 370848 John.Airey@xxxxxxxxxxx 

Even if Embryonic Stem Cell Research yielded medical treatments, how could 
enough eggs be obtained to make them viable? We can't even get enough organs 
for transplant donation.

-- 
DISCLAIMER:

NOTICE: The information contained in this email and any attachments is 
confidential and may be privileged.  If you are not the intended 
recipient you should not use, disclose, distribute or copy any of the 
content of it or of any attachment; you are requested to notify the 
sender immediately of your receipt of the email and then to delete it 
and any attachments from your system.

RNIB endeavours to ensure that emails and any attachments generated by
its staff are free from viruses or other contaminants.  However, it 
cannot accept any responsibility for any  such which are transmitted.
We therefore recommend you scan all attachments.

Please note that the statements and views expressed in this email and 
any attachments are those of the author and do not necessarily represent
those of RNIB.

RNIB Registered Charity Number: 226227

Website: http://www.rnib.org.uk



_______________________________________________
Full-Disclosure - We believe in it.
Charter: http://lists.netsys.com/full-disclosure-charter.html